


Cause I'm Bulma F*cking Briefs!

by CanadianMoose



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Bulma, Blood and Violence, Character Development, Cussing, Dark Past, Dreams and Nightmares, Drinking Games, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Heartache, Past Implied/Referenced Cheating-Yamcha, Past Implied/Referenced Torture-Trigger Warning, Past Sexual Assault-Trigger Warning, Planet Namek, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Trust Issues, Virgin Vegeta (Dragon Ball), mutual respect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 82,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanadianMoose/pseuds/CanadianMoose
Summary: We all know Bulma to be one hell of a badass, a bit selfish/vain but generally she doesn't back down from helping her friends or being ready to show up for a fight! So when they have her sitting at home watching the tv of the "Saiyan battle" I called bull. This story is about how one stubborn, persistent, intelligent, and yet compassionate woman goes to try and set things right after most of her friends get killed by Nappa (Saibamen for Yamchuck...er I mean Yamcha.) How her wit and quick thinking along with her ability to create devices or solutions in dire situations will greatly change the outcome of  events on Planet Namek. How one equally stubborn yet revenge-filled Prince of all Saiyans slowly changes and sees that maybe there's more to Earth and this one small determined female.I got the wonderful inspiration for this Namek AU from some doodles and bits from a wonderful DeviantArt artist on their tumblr account Vegetapsycho! You should definately check out some of their artwork it's fabulous!
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 40
Kudos: 79





	1. Enemy of my Enemy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VEGETApsycho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VEGETApsycho/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In where a very ANGRY Queen B decides she's had just about enough of sitting back and watching two Saiyans causing havoc and decides to have her say. Takes place right after Gohan turns back from giant ape form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> I think that about covers it....oh for those who DON'T know...Kakarot is Goku's Saiyan name...they are the same person, FYI. Vegeta just tends to call him Kakarot instead of Goku.
> 
> *Edited: Also major thanks to my wonderful husband for helping me edit down and make this better! Also, since January 13th I reformatted it to be more reader friendly. So enjoy everyone!
> 
> P.S. I realize that in the anime the punch Goku gives Vegeta doesn't break his armor where it should have leaving a wound. Also, Yajirobe slashes Vegeta in the back through his armor. In this AU Yajirobe does still slash Vegeta in the back, and the gut wound Vegeta sustains from Goku is more serious and becomes dire through out the rest of his fighting Gohan in great ape form.
> 
> I felt like this needed to be addressed for the more hardcore fans due to the differences between anime and manga, and I personally think Goku's Kaio Ken(x3) punch would have torn through armor and flesh considering the damage Vegeta has on unprotected parts on his body with lower forms of Kaio Ken.

** The Enemy of My Enemy **

Excruciating pain wasn't a new thing to Vegeta, so when it was the first thing he became aware of when he awoke it was to be expected. The weight of a body, a small NAKED body. Now that was something new. Grunting with reluctance he cracked open one eye then the other to see a naked form of a small child, a boy laying on top of him.

' _What the...oh right, the half bred brat. How did he get on top...WAIT._ ' Vegeta's eyes widen with horror as he starts to remember a very large and ape-like behind hurdling toward him, minus a tail.

' _Just FUCKING great! How humiliating...could this day get any worse!_ ' Groaning and rolling his eyes, he gingerly sits up and with a grunt, shoves the boy off his lap. Vegeta proceeds to roll over gasping for air as his lungs struggle to fill due to his bruised and fractured ribs. Glancing around he quickly checks if the rest of his enemies, that baldy and Kakarot, are either still knocked out or busy elsewhere. Krillian is nowhere in sight and Goku is still lying in a slump on the ground where Vegeta left him after his Oozaru fight.

' _Now's my chance to get off this God forsaken mud-ball of a planet! If Nappa truly betrayed me then I have to move NOW! Before Frieza is able to reach Namek and use the Dragon Balls for his OWN chance of being immortal!_ ' Vegeta gritted his teeth hissing as he willed his arms and legs to move slowly across the ground one painstaking inch at a time toward his pod just 20 meters away. His energy was all but depleted due to the Power Ball he used to help his Oozaru transformation plus the fight against the half breed's giant ape. Though he hated to admit it to himself, both fights and injuries sustained during them took a toll on him. Deep gashes, fractures and internal bleeding, not to mention the gaping hole near his stomach that was bleeding without any hint of letting up. Vegeta knew bitterly that he wouldn't stand to last long against another attack, even if it was the frail humans with their useless and pathetic weapons called 'guns'.

  
So when he saw the shape of two boots blocking his path to his pod Vegeta held back a groaning sigh of disappointment. Shifting his head to look up into the eyes of pure blue fire surrounded by the most lovely face and vibrant color of teal blue hair of a female. A very ANGRY female...a very angry female holding a very imposing 'gun' that let off a *Cha-CHINK* sound when he looked down the barrel of said weapon the second his eyes left her face.

' _Oh SHIT...well, time for Plan B._ '

" **You, woman! Get that puny shit OUT of my face before I rip it from you with your arms STILL attached!** " Vegeta growled, snarling his teeth displaying his impressive canines and giving his most intimating look. 

  
Burning sapphire eyes stared straight back at him, unblinking and narrowing slightly, not showing the slightest hint of being intimidated. " **Yeaaaah, I don't think so asshole! You and your shitty giant butt buddy of yours are responsible for killing my ex and friends...** " Shifting her weight slightly to brace herself, the blue haired female smiled with a hint of mischief, as Vegeta stared back at her in mild disbelief in the fact that she didn't cower and whimper at his display. " **Which means you, shorty, are going NOWHERE! Capisce?! Not if I have a say in it!** " Momentarily stunned, Vegeta snapped back to focus with a snarl and pushed himself up as to act upon his earlier threat, when 4 shots of something sizzling hot and deadly flew just millimeters away from his face into the ground very close to his left arm. Blinking a few times he registered the small waft of smoke coming from the barrel of the gun in front of him now pointed directly at his head, between his eyes.

  
" **Nu uh UH! That was a warning homeboy! Next time you can be sure I'll hit my mark, I doubt you are willing to test right now as if your body has the strength to deflect my improved piercing rounds.** " Staring back up into those piercing blue eyes flickering with anger, Vegeta had to struggle to not let out a very audible gulp as he saw that the woman wasn't bluffing. Not far off behind Vegeta he heard an muffled groan as Goku struggled to lift his head to see what all the commotion was about. Bulma's eyes never left the face of the man below her on the ground, yet she shifted her head up slightly to project her voice higher so her friend could hear her. " **You doing alright over there Goku? Because I swear if your ass is dying I'm going to beat the ever living HELL outta you MYSELF for letting this jerk slink away!** " Poor Goku was busy trying not to flinch at the sound of Bulma's angry words, attempting to laugh off his discomfort at the situation.

" **Aw, come on Bulma...he's in no shape to cause any more trouble, and you know how I feel about...um you know...** " The anger in the woman's blue eyes flickered up behind Vegeta for the briefest of seconds just long enough for her to scream out in return.

" **TOUGH SHIT!** " As her eyes moved back to him, Vegeta's feeling of dread in dealing with this crazy blue banshee started to take root in the pit of his almost non-existent bleeding stomach. Right, he was bleeding out and needed to try and do something, say something to get past this woman and into his pod. So Vegeta tried a rarely used tactic with his enemies, reasoning.

" **I don't have time for your impertinence! I have to get to Namek immediately before Frieza and his men, and your in my way you insolent wench!** " One delicate blue eyebrow cocked slightly up in disbelief as the woman braced her gun deeper against her shoulder in anticipation of Vegeta trying to get past her. 

  
' _Oh FUCK this!_ '

Vegeta was getting frustrated and desperate since his 'reasoning' didn't seem to work with this simpleton! At her small movement he growled loudly and dug his fingers deep in the earth below him, furrowing his brows in anger and glaring at her. " **You have NO idea what cosmic shit storm will come if he gets his scaly psychopathic hands on those Dragon Balls! He will wish for immortality and NOTHING and NO ONE will be able to stop him! I'll be DAMMED if I let some pathetic bitch and her weak human contraption stop me from achieving MY revenge!** "

Bulma was silent as she observed his outburst, her brilliant mind whirling, curious to a fault sometimes, it was nagging her relentlessly. ' _cosmic shit storm? Immortality? Psychopath? Worse than this shithead? There is more going on here..._ ' Still a bit miffed at being called a 'pathetic bitch' but knowing that there was something more important to what the man said, Bulma took a step back still holding her improved assault rifle in line of Vegeta's prone body in case he tried to attack.

" **Alright, I'm listening. YOU are going to tell me just who is this 'Frieza' and why should I give a shit if he gets the Dragon Balls? He must be someone pretty powerful if even you're afraid of him.** " Vegeta grit his teeth at the word 'afraid' coming from the woman's mouth and his eyes flared with defiance.

' _AFRAID?!?! I am NOT afraid!_ _Cautious and determined not to die before I get revenge but I, Prince of all Saiyans, FEAR NO ONE!'_ Before Vegeta could open his mouth to refute the female's words, Goku's struggled groans reached them as he sat up to look over their way with eager eyes at the chance of another battle.

" **Wait, someone MORE powerful? You mean I get to fight a tougher guy!** "

Vegeta internally groaned at the idiot's enthusiasm, but his attention was drawn to the quick head movement of the woman's glare above him. He swore he could see a vein in her head tick in the fury written across her face. Her eyes reminded him vaguely of an incoming deadly magnetic storm he experienced once during one of his planet 'acquisition' assignments.

" **GOKU! I SWEAR to Kami if you even THINK about running off to go fight again in the condition you're in I will duct tape your legs, arms, and MOUTH and toss your ASS to Chi-Chi! Don't you, for a SECOND, think she has forgotten that you took Gohan to battle against these Saiyans!** " Goku flinched at Bulma's threats and kept his mouth shut as he looked at the fury etched on his dearest friend's face. Light sounds of awkward shuffling off to the side caught everyone's attention as Krillin hobbled over to Goku to help his friend stay sitting up. Bulma gave them one last glare to ensure that neither of them wouldn't interrupt, then shifted her gaze back to the man in front of her giving a subtle nod with her gun. " **Now, you were saying about this...'Frieza' and being unstoppable?** "

Vegeta laughed hopelessly at that as he thought how pointless fighting would be if indeed Frieza did get his hands on the Namekian Dragon Balls. Hesitating in his response, he took the time to properly look at the infuriating creature in front of him, and preventing him from escaping. The fire that was in her bright blue eyes had dimmed but not extinguished. There was a grim determination to her face, one he recognized all too well in himself from his past. ' _Maybe there is one among these weaklings that isn't completely stupid and can see reason!_ _'_ His gaze slowly moved over her frame taking in her shape and clothes. Curves and softness filled out her slim yet toned frame. Her shoulder cut-off thigh length yellow puffy jacket didn't deter in covering her shape yet she wore no sleeves or leggings under it, revealing the pale unblemished milky skin of her arms and legs. Sneakers that looked purely for show and not utility were a striking orange that bordered on hurting his eyes. Her aqua silky hair pushed back with a red cloth around the crown of her head and stopped just at the nape of her neck, brushing lightly against the collar of her jacket. ' _...Then again...'_ Vegeta took a deep breath wincing as he momentarily forgot about his ribs. He steeled himself for a long explanation he felt he really didn't have time for.

" **Frieza is the youngest son of the Cold empire, whose influence reigns across the universe with hundreds of thousands of planets under it's control. His father rules the universe with a cold and calculated iron fist and favors Frieza over his older brother. However, as ruthless they seem, Frezia looks like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum compared to them! Complaining he NEVER has enough toys...nevermind that he keeps breaking or killing them.** " His lips and nose rose in a half snarl of displeasure at the thought of the cold and ruthless lizard sitting on his mechanical throne. Frieza's lips curled in an evil smirk with his chin resting on his closed fist that seemed to be his typical pose. He tried to suppress the blinding rage bubbling within him at the thought of the tyrant and focused his eyes back up into the questioning blue gaze of the woman above him.

" **Frieza currently holds yours and 3 neighboring galaxies in his demonic grasp.** **He has millions of men at his disposal to do his biding. Conducting planetary genocides and if he feels so inclined, selling or outright destroying what's left over. Not to mention his favorite pastime is to find the strongest warriors of a race and force them into slavery, maintaining control with torture that your puny minds can't even begin to fathom! And now that Frieza has knowledge of another Saiyan alive in the universe NOT under his thumb, he'll come for Kararot next."** Pausing to gauge the look of realization and barely concealed fear in the female's startling blue eyes he couldn't help a small smirk that crossed his battered and bloodied lips.

' _She's afraid, GOOD! She should be..._ ' Vegeta internally grinned at the thought of Frieza showing up to rid this backwater piss of a planet, but was slightly disappointed at the thought of the other Saiyan dying to the lizard's hands and not his own. A desperate and grating voice from behind him broke through his thoughts as well as his gaze from the woman's eyes as the short bald midget spoke up.

" **Don't trust him Bulma! Vegeta's obviously lying so he can get to his pod to escape Earth then turn around and blow us up the moment he's free from the blast!** " Vegeta chuckled darkly, or tried to, but mid way through his breath caught and turned into a fit of coughing. Bits of blood splattered from his mouth lightly speckling the ground as he struggled to get his breathing and coughing under control. Bulma took the time while he was struggling to carefully observe him.

" **Woman, either shoot me now or get the hell out of my way...** " Vegeta held his breath steeling himself for the shot that would undoubtedly end him. Bulma just gazed at him trying to think objectively and not to let her emotions rule her actions.

' _If what Krillin said was true he would have had plenty of energy to blast me where I stood the moment I stood in his way. No, I don't think he's capable of even emitting the tiniest of blasts to even put a hole through my heart let alone blow up a planet..._ " Bulma stared at Vegeta straight in his seemingly obsidian eyes trying to sense any hint of deception. He stared straight back at her unflinchingly and defiant, his features back under control and set in a passive determined scowl. ' _N_ _o, he's not lying. Whoever this 'Frieza' guys is...He's enough of a real threat, even to him. If that's the case, what snowball's chance in Hell do we have?'_ Lowering her weapon from her shoulder as well as the direct line of fire from his head, Bulma sighed as the last of her anger dissipated from her eyes to be filled with grim resolution.

" **No Krillin, I don't think he is. If he had the energy to blow up the planet I wouldn't be standing here right now...** " Feelings of shock of being understood for a brief second crossed into Vegeta's gaze until he quickly shuttered it behind his masked scowl of disapproval. Warily he gauges the woman's next move and waits, not wanting to confirm her assessment of his current state. He could feel his blood pooling around his waist now, feeling even more cold and weak as it was leaving him. Albeit slower than before, he was losing precious time and whatever scraps of energy he had left was being used to try and slow the flow giving himself time to heal.

" **Vegeta was it?** " Surprised at his name coming from her lips he manages a slight nod as her lips thin in response. She nods to herself as if seeming to come to a decision. " **Alright then, I have a proposition for you Vegeta...one I think you might want to hear if you want to defeat Frieza.** " Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta glared dubiously at the woman. He was use to those trying to bargain their way with him, but most of the time it was while they were at the end of HIS 'mercy' NOT theirs. Waiting for a response and not getting one, Bulma assumed it meant he was open to hearing her out so she took a shaky breath and plowed forward. " **You said that Frieza would be looking for another group of Dragon Balls that would probably be residing on Namek correct? That he would use them to gain immortality and try to rule the universe with his immense power and evil tyranny, have I got that about right?** "

Vegeta's form slumped slightly as he felt he got this woman to understand just what was at stake now when it came to the tyrannical lizard. His scowl lessened as he maintained her gaze and nodded lightly. He saw her shoulders tense in response to his confirmation. " **We** **ll then, looks like if we want to survive and stop this Frieza guy from taking over and destroying our planet AND the galaxy, we're gonna have to work together...** "

Vegeta didn't even try to cover the scoff he made at the woman's suggestion as he looked back up at her haughtily. " **And what could a weak pathetic human woman like you do to possibly help me! Not even to say I would want or NEED your help...** " Anger flared deep in Bulma's eyes again at his suggestion that she was incapable of being of any help or worth. Vegeta smirked at the reaction in her eyes and tense posture. Shifting slightly to brace himself on his forearms, He tried to establish a more imposing and capable aura than he felt. Bulma steeled her outburst and took time to breath in deeply, closing her eyes and then let it out. She went back to finding his gaze below her. A secret half smile graced her lips as she knew something he didn't.

" **Because smartass...I can track the Dragon Balls. In fact I can track them right down to their pinpoint, EXACT location.** " Vegeta's eyes widened, his jaw going slack as his mind raced at the possibilities of her implication.

' _No, impossible...this weak female can track the Dragon Balls down?! If so I would have the advantage against Frieza without wasting time that he would take in collecting them..._ ' Seeing that he was taking the bait she knew it would only take a bit more pushing to catch him. Giving a slight peace offering, she shifted her gun barrel to face the sky resting the butt of her weapon on her bent thigh.

" **AND...I know how to use them. I'm a genius inventor and the most brilliant human on this planet, not to mention the most beautiful...** " Vegeta scoffed at this, rolling his eyes at her while she narrowed her sapphire ones in response to his outburst. " **As I was saying....I'm a genius and I'm willing to make a deal to help you find and use the Dragon Balls on 3 conditions**." At this last bit Bulma stretched out her free hand splaying her fingers holding up three of them as if counting to him. Vegeta could barely believe what he was hearing! The nerve of this woman! Trying to propose a deal with the Prince of all Saiyans!

' _I should blast her for just the mere suggestion that I need HER help, but if there is truth to what she's saying...._ ' Cocking one eyebrow at her Vegeta gave her a look as if to say 'Go on, I'm listening.' Bulma's grin widened as she took in his nonchalant response.

' _Hook, line..._ '

Pulling down her first finger she counted off. " **First! You will take me with you and ensure that I will not be harmed by either YOU or any of Frieza's men while searching for the Dragon Balls.** " Pulling down another finger before he could respond seeing his mouth open as if to object she continued. " **SECOND! You will at no time in the future, before or after you get your wish, come to harm anyone on Earth or blow up our planet.** " Seeing the anger in his face, she realized this might not work. However, she had already made a risky choice in taking it this far.

' _Can't go back now.._ '

Vegeta glared at her in outrage as he spoke up with indignation in his voice. " **I will NOT be told what to do by some WENCH! I am the Prince of all Saiyans and I will not tolerate...** " Bulma saw her chances of pulling this off dwindling at his tirade so she rushed to yell over his voice to quickly get her last point off. She counted the last and final finger.

" **THRID AND LASTLY! After I HELP you make your wish for immortality...** " She paused to see him snap his mouth closed reluctantly, checking if she had his attention, and when she did started up again. " **You WILL allow and help me to gather them again to make my own wish to resurrect our own Dragon Balls for Earth.** " Finally saying her requirements to the deal, Bulma let her hand fall down to her side.

' _Annnnd sinker! '_

She stood silently trying to gauge his response. Vegeta was outraged! His ire at being talked over and at being told what he must and could not do if he took this 'deal' simmered at the edge of his mind. However, if anything the blue devil of a woman said was true, he would be a fool to not take advantage.

Shoving his anger deep down he glanced at the woman skeptically and hesitantly spoke. " **How do I know you are able to do what you say? Or that when given the first chance you get you won't try to betray me?** "

Bulma stood still for a moment taking in what he said and allowing her mind to go over any second thoughts she had about her next move. Taking in a deep breath she steeled her resolve and slung her weapon over one shoulder to lay it across her back lowering her guard in an attempt to further persuade him. Crouching to one knee and resting an arm across her bent leg, Bulma's sincerity is expressed on her face as she says her next words slowly. " **If I promised to help you get the Dragon Balls to get you your wish, then you can trust I will see to it**. **I'm not lying and I have enough honor to keep my word.** " Vegeta clenched his fist and snarled at the woman's words and the seeming sincerity of them.

Lowering his voice to almost a whisper with deadly venom laced through it, he replied back. " **TRUST you? Why in hell's name should I trust YOU?** " Staring back unflinchingly at his face, Bulma paused so her words would have more impact on the Saiyan laid out in front of her just a couple of feet away.

" **Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend...** " Blinking at this, Vegeta searched her face for any signs of deception, his mind whirling trying to see the 'knife in the dark' just beyond them. " **...If Frieza is as evil and psychotic as you say he is with a power boner that's worse than Master Roshi on Viagra, then we don't have time to just sit and wait for him to enslave or kill us."** Vegeta paused watching her intently.

' _She's really isn't lying..._ ' his mind balked internally at the truth of it, trying to grasp at what it could mean. He knew the woman would follow what she set out to do, of that there was no doubt. He also knew if he made this deal his honor as a Saiyan and prince would not let him go back on it. It irked him down to his core, and all he wanted to do was get to his damn pod and possibly break the woman's neck for her insolence!

" **Don't do it Bulma!** " Krillin's voice crackled over Vegeta's shoulder forcing the woman's eyes to shift slightly beyond him to stare at the interruption. " **He'll just kill you after he gets his wish and becomes immortal! You don't know if he will keep ANY part of this deal!** " Vegeta closed his eyes as a low growl rippled through his chest at the insinuation that he, Prince of all Saiyan and a warrior, would not honor his word. As if reading his mind the woman in front of him shouted back with heat inflicted in her voice at the bald man.

" **SHUT IT KRILLIN! If he had no honor he would have attacked and killed any one of you when his partner was in trouble! He could have killed Gohan easily instead of showing restraint! HELL, even with YOU he could have broken your damn neck and left you for dead!** " Krillin muffled a small gasp of apprehension(or fear) as his words have seemed to anger Bulma.

This left him speechless to respond as he was just trying to save his friend from what he saw as 'a horrible decision.' Visibly stunned at the woman's berating of her ally and her words, Vegeta took a few moments for his thoughts to collect enough to realize that this woman in front of him was more intelligent and observant than he first gave her credit. Vegeta felt his life slipping through his fingers as he struggled with his options. Quiet literally, since his blood that had been pooling from his stomach reached his fingers now, growing even more in his time laying here debating with this woman. Bulma let him have a few minutes to internally debate with himself as she shifted her gaze back to watching him carefully, trying to pick up on the subtle cues of his body language. She needed to have an answer and soon.

" **So?** " He glanced up to match her gaze as her voice shook him from his thoughts. " **Do we have a deal Vegeta?** " Vegeta closed his eyes letting an exasperated sigh escape him.

' _I know I'm going to regret this. Hell! I regret it right now..._ ' Opening his eyes with a scowl and light snarl grazing the right side of his mouth he growled out his response. " **FINE! Woman I... _accept_ your terms. Now let me get to my DAMN SHIP!**" Bulma internally cheered herself for a job well done in convincing the Saiyan.

' _YES! Gotcha! Now here's hoping I was right about his pride.._.' Shifting her weight to both her knees she slid closer to the wounded warrior. Holding her hands out in a gesture for him to halt his attempt to get up.

" **Just hang on there one second mister. Your bleeding pretty heavily there to just leave it be.** " At her insistence to wait even longer, Vegeta couldn't help the frustrated huff that came out as swift hiss through his teeth.

" **That's none of YOUR concern woman!** " He snapped out harshly as he glared defiantly at her. " **I WILL be fine if I get into stasis to heal in my ship, but you are preventing that...** " His response reminded Bulma of a wounded wild animal trying to ward off a presumed threat. Keeping her voice calm and soothing she slowly reached into left breast pocket of her jacket. Maintaining eye contact with him, Bulma pulled out her case of emergency capsules. One of these which had her own improved version of a first aid kit for battle situations. Leaving her left hand up, palm toward Vegeta showing no intent to harm, she revealed the case in her right hand.

" **That's a pretty deep hole there...** " Her eyes flitted down to the still bleeding wound that seemed to leak with every beat of his weakening heart. Moving her blue glaze back to his, she saw him narrow his eyes in defense and suspicion. " **I have something that can help you with that...if you let me."** She said gently.

Vegeta tried once again to intimidate her with his look that would have had even the most veteran of warriors flinching with his glare. Bulma held her breath forcing herself to match his dark eyes. She was determined to wait him out but not push him further. Their stand off lasted a few beats in silence before, slumping with exhaustion, Vegeta slinked fully to the ground. He really didn't have the energy nor the luxury to continue fighting her verbally and mentally. He was minutes from passing out and bleeding to death. Bulma let out the breath she was holding with a rush as she started to dig for her capsule with the medical supplies.

" **I'll take that as a yes?** " Vegeta grunted noncommittally at her from the ground too tired to voice anything else.

' _I'm going to die here because of some bossy harpy..._ ' His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a soft and tentative touch brushed his shoulder. Bulma tried soothing him, her fingers cool to the touch caused his shoulders to stiffen in response. Snapping his gaze up, Vegeta realized the woman had silently moved next to him and was looking down at his alert and guarded face.

" **Easy there...** " She held perfectly still not daring to move cautious of causing a defensive reaction from him. " **I just need you to flip to your back so I can reach your wounds to treat them.** " Her touch unsettled him, and not in the way he expected. It held no malice or dubious intent to it. In fact it almost reassured him and heated his blood, whatever little he had left in his body.

Coming to a conclusion, he decided to let her get his 'treatment' over with. ' _And the sooner the better..._ ' 

It was the only quick way to get her disconcerting touch off him. Vegeta grunted and gritted his teeth with effort as he started to roll over onto his back. His movement spurred Bulma to move to help him with her hands. She tried to brace and take some of his weight as she eased him down onto his back. " **Here let me just...there how's that? Better?** " Letting out a final grunt of pain, Vegeta closed his eyes and forced his body to slowly relax, and laid his head on the earth under him. Finally able to look him over properly, Bulma saw the full extent of the damage and silently she's impressed he's still conscious.

' _Probably because he's Saiyan. If he was any normal person he would either fallen unconscious or bled out 5 minutes ago..._ '

" **Why?** " His voice broke through startling her slightly and causing her focus to shift to his face. His eyes laced with pain barely hid his look of confusion. Catching her off guard, his obsidian eyes found hers. " **What are you getting out of this?** " He asked. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared back with her mouth slightly open in awe.

' _Has no one been genuine or truthful with him? Is that why he's quick to judge and never trusts anyone?'_ Blinking as the truth of her thoughts sunk in, she moved her hand to rest gently on his shoulder. Trying to give him reassurance at her next words, her eyes matched his unblinking gaze.

" **Because I made a deal and I intend to keep my promise as long as you keep yours. I will do everything I can to help you reach your goal.** " With a small nod, she let her words sink in before she cracked a small mischievous smile and winked. " **Besides, Earth will need Kami and the Dragon Balls back if we are to stand any chance of staying off the radar and safe from ass-hats like Frieza in the future.** " Taken aback from her bold gestures, Vegeta stubbornly fought the would be blush, if he had enough blood, that threatened his cheeks.

Furrowing his brows, he responded. " **Tsk! Whatever woman, get on with whatever it is you plan to do.** " Sliding his eyes away from her gaze, he tried to ignore the growing apprehension that coursed through his body. It was trying to warn him of the impending danger she was capable of.

' _This woman might be more trouble than she's worth._ ' Sighing as he closed his eyes, Vegeta resigned his fate to this blue-haired She-devil and her ministrations. ' _Just what have I gotten myself into..._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Vegeta....what indeed! ;P
> 
> WOOF! this was quite fun to do and yet difficult to start but I'm hoping as I get the ball rolling I can keep everything in line! I have tried to outline a few chapters so don't lose what I have planned in my head, which let's be honest has been banging around up there for months! I am always up for comments or suggestions, artwork about this fanfic and over all anyone wanting to give their time. This really is just meant to be a way to get my ideas down and also share it, having it around so I can look back later and think..."HA! I did that! Wow! That was cool and creative."
> 
> I have plenty planned for this story from Namek to possibly parts of the 3 years gap with...minor AU cannon(psh minor yeah ok moose.) However, if any of you stick around for the long haul I tip my toque to you! As for how often I post I'll try to keep it up within 5-7 days unless I mention something in the notes upcoming. In the meantime, hope you enjoyed this and catch ya'll on the flipside.


	2. What the F*ck Are You Waiting For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta and Bulma come to butt heads while getting him patched up. Goku seems to use his connection to King Kai to get some answers and Krillin runs an errand for the Briefs. Bulma and her father have a conversation on spaceships/space travel. As plans begin to be set into motion, our heroine jumps into the Saiyan pod with Vegeta and they set out on their journey to Planet Namek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> Also, Alot of ideas of where this story stems from is by some wonderful doodles and drawings of an AU Namek by the lovely artist Vegetapsycho! Please go check their tumblr or deviantart page and support their AWESOME art!.
> 
> *Edited: I reformatted this Chapter January 14th to be more reader friendly, so I hope you all enjoy and have a good one!

**Previously:**

Furrowing his brows, Vegeta responded. " **Tsk! Whatever woman, get on with whatever it is you plan to do.** " Sliding his eyes away from her gaze, he tried to ignore the growing apprehension that coursed through his body. It was trying to warn him of the impending danger she was capable of.

' _This woman might be more trouble than she's worth._ ' Sighing as he closed his eyes, Vegeta resigned his fate to this blue-haired She-devil and her ministrations. ' _Just what have I gotten myself into..._ '

**What the F*ck Are You Waiting For?**

Seeing that Vegeta finally acquiesces to her suggestions, Bulma unhooks her assault weapon from her shoulder and lays it down on the ground beside her. Popping open her protective case, she fiddles through the different capsules looking for the one labeled _MEDICAL_. Finding the red capsule with a white cap, she quickly clicks the top and throws it to the ground to release its contents. A loud *POP* startles Vegeta from his thoughts causing his eyes to flash open in alarm. Shifting his head to the side, he watches as the woman digs through a medium sized red box with a white cross marking the top of the lid. Suspicious, his resolve begins to falter as she starts to pull out a strange looking can, a large looking syringe with a short tip, and gel like adhesive folded in on itself into a roll. Oblivious to his apprehension, Bulma sets aside her gathered objects on the lid of her battle ready medical kit taking inventory in a mental checklist.

' _Anti-bacterial sealant foam, check. Adhesive bandages of my own design, check. Injection cocktail of necessary drugs, check. I don't think I'll need disinfectant due to it though..._ '

Grabbing her can of the anti-bacterial sealant with a funnel like nozzle, Bulma decided to address the critical wound in his chest first. Looking up, her eyes take in the tentative look displayed on his face. Scooting over next to him, she shakes the can in her hands gingerly a few times as she proceeds to fill Vegeta in on the objects in front of him and their purpose.

" **This is an anti-bacterial foam I made to act as a sealant which sets 10 seconds after leaving compression. Basically it's purpose is to plug holes sufficiently in wayward Saiyans or no good ex boyfriends who can't keep it in their pants!** " Bulma chuckled humorlessly to herself at her poor attempt at a joke to break the tension.

It still hurt for her to think of catching Yamcha with some 'not so innocent' pictures of himself and some red head a few weeks ago. ' _Is it too much to ask for some one to be faithful?!_ _'_ She growled as anger flared in her bright eyes. Using her left hand to brace against Vegeta's abs, she tries to ignore how the muscles flex defensively beneath her fingertips as she firmly pressed the nozzle of the foam deep into the wound.

Focused on completing the treatment, she tried to avoid his gaze as she spoke calmly. " **This might sting a bit...** "

Vegeta barely had a second to respond before she released the foam in the wound, the sound coming from the can overshadowed by his howl of pain.

" **Sorry...I hear it hurts like a bitch, but it will stop the bleeding almost immediately.** " Bulma said guiltily.

Glancing up she saw his face turned into a menacing snarl, his yelp turned to an intimidating growl. Using both her middle and index fingers on her right hand, Bulma smoothed out the foam to flatten out the surface and efficiently sealed the edges of the gaping hole. Checking her work, she didn't even realize her fingers continued to brush around the wound, as if the mere touch could soothe and wipe away any residual pain surrounding the area for Vegeta.

Vegeta was taken aback by the pain at first, but what really bothered him now was the woman's touch. Her delicate and gentle fingers were unnerving him more than standing in front of Frieza after a failed purging mission. Vegeta sat up suddenly and grabbed her wrist firmly to stop her ministrations. Her gasp force his eyes to meet her surprised, apprehensive ones.

His gruff voice tore through the tension hanging in the air. " **Enough! Don't just touch me so casually woman! Now, if you're finished with your nonsense...** "

He didn't get a chance to finish as her back straightened in response and her voice broke over his. " **Actually no, I'm not. I still have your gashes to bandage and an injection to help you fight infection and deal with the pain.** " Trying to pull her hand from his grasp, she narrowed her eyes slightly as her wrist was still held firm in his steely grip.

" **I don't need any of that useless crap, and your wearing on my patience woman...** " Noticing her shoulders shaking, Vegeta couldn't help the smirk that graced his lips at thinking it was because of her fear of him.

' _Good! Now maybe she'll finally listen to orders._ '

Bulma's barely restrained fury caused her shoulders to shake, straining to hold her tongue. However, at the sight of his egotistical grin she saw red creep at the edges of her vision. Her voice full of raw emotion hit him straight in the face as she caught him off guard.

" **USELESS?!?! YOUR patience is wearing thin?! How DARE you!** "

In her ire, Bulma turned and flung the sealant haphazardly back in the medical box. Her head snapped back to him so swiftly one could swear she would have whiplash from it. " **I have done NOTHING but be respectful and patient since you mentioned Frieza, offering my help! While YOU...YOU have been threatening, spiteful, and condescending! YOUR THUG KILLED MY FRIENDS!** "

Bulma threw caution to the wind and thrust her free hand, finger pointed into his chest, poking him hard to prove a point. " **And despite ALL OF THAT, I have decided to aid YOU in gathering the Dragon Balls so YOU can wish for immortality to defeat Frieza.** " At the prodding of his chest, Vegeta snapped out of the stupor he was forced into by the woman's sudden eruption. His grip on her wrist tightened further causing her to pause, wincing slightly in her tirade. If the deadly look in his eyes could not alert Bulma to back down, the low growl rising in volume did. However, as Vegeta would soon learn, when Bulma Briefs got angry enough about something, not even the fear of a painful death would stop her from saying her mind.

" **So how bout you get the FUCK off your high horse and show a bit of gratitude!** " Her breathing came out in huffs as she was finally able to calm down enough to noticed the cold and calculated look in his gaze.

" **W** **oman...** " Still wrapped up in her indignation she barely registered his warning, steeling herself for another verbal jab direct at him.

" **Hell! Even apes have more manners than you!"** She barked out.

Before she could blink, Vegeta pulled her face inches from his, holding her jaw tightly in his gloved hand. His grip was so tight around her wrist now, she swore she could feel the bruises already forming. As his fingers dug into the sides of her cheeks, Bulma had the distinct impression she _might_ have gone a little too far. Vegeta's eyes looked like two black-holes that would suck the light and life out of anything.

His voice was soft and barely concealing its deadly tone as it floated to her ears. " **How dare I? I am the PRINCE of all Saiyans, an elite warrior that has conquered and KILLED millions. I would not have hesitated for a SECOND in killing you for just LOOKING my way with your contempt.** "

Seeing that he got her attention, and more importantly her silence, Vegeta bared his teeth flashing his imposing canines. He could smell the hint of her fear mixed with something else he could not put a name to. However, he relished in the familiarity of instilling fear in another, his lips quirking maliciously. " **However, don't think that just because I have made a deal with you means that I will put up with your insolence.** "

His unflinching gaze held hers, as he voiced one final threat. " **I may not be able to kill you, due to our agreement, but don't think I wouldn't be willing to turn a blind eye to those that would.** "

His graveled voice scraped across her already frayed nerves, like nails on a chalk board, and she couldn't suppress the small cold shiver that ran down her spine. Bulma dug deep to find the strength within to not flinch as she gingerly pushed her tongue to wet her lips. Her throat constricted with panic. She attempted to clear it before speaking as to not have it break. 

" **Uhm...Tha- maybe** **true...** " Barely getting the words out as his fingers pushing on the side of her face made it difficult to talk. She risked touching him again, lifting her left hand up to gently encourage his to lessen it's hold on her face. She tilted her head slightly to one side as if asking him to ponder her next words with reason. " **B** **ut...I don't think it would be a smart idea to _kill_ the only person willing to help you...**"

Pausing to control her recklessly beating heart that felt as if it was jumping out of her chest, Bulma felt his fingers loosen on her face ever so slightly. " **A** **nd you seem like the kinda guy who prides himself on behaving intelligently. Am I wrong?** " What was mere seconds felt like minutes to Bulma as she waited with baited breath. She could swear she could see the gears turning in his head as Vegeta's unblinking eyes never lost focus. He stared straight at her as if sizing her up. One gloved hand released her wrist but Vegeta kept his hold on her face with his right.

" **No, you are not wrong...** " He murmured back to her.

His grip on her jaw relinquished as he leaned back into a more relaxed sitting position. " **But I will only give you ONE warning.** " Fighting the urge to rub her sore, bruised wrist, Bulma grabbed the adhesive tape that had been flung to the ground in the commotion and nodded her head faintly.

" **Understood...** " Bulma voiced quietly. She started to tear off strips to use, continuing her first aid as if nothing had happened.

' _Note to self; do NOT refer to Vegeta as any kind of primate._ '

Satisfied his threat was well heeded, Vegeta reluctantly sat still as the woman carried out placing the adhesives around the gashes on his arms and legs. Speaking up firmly, Bulma was grateful her voice didn't crack and reveal just how shaken she was from their altercation. " **This is an adhesive bandage that works like a second skin allowing the skin underneath to repair faster and less likely to scab or leave scars.** " Pulling on the roll she pulled a strip about a foot long and moved to cover the slash on his back given to him by Yajirobe. Grunting in understanding, Vegeta kept his eyes trained on the woman, turning his head to watch her as she smoothed the bandage across the middle of his back.

" **Although, I use a special lazer pen to heat and remove the adhesive when it needs to be removed otherwise it can take skin or hair with it if you try and rip it off.** " A genuine smile graced her lips as she remembered the first time she tried using the bandage on Goku.

" **Just ask Goku. 'took off half the skin on his calf and any hair with it! I told him to be patient and wait but nooOOOooo, you Saiyans always in a hurry to do things the hard way.** " Bulma said jokingly.

She giggled lightly as she heard a groan from said Saiyan 30 meters away from them. Lifting her head she caught Vegeta's disgruntled profile as he scoffed at the younger warrior's reaction. Grin widening she held up the injection pen she had in her right hand, eyes twinkling with mischief. " **If you think that's bad wait till you see this!** " Vegeta's eyebrow rose, unable to hide his curiosity as he saw her left hand pressed to her mouth in a signal for silence.

Raising her voice to carry over the barren land, she made it light and peppy. " **OK! Injection time!** " Quick movements caught the peripheral of his eye, and Vegeta had to shift his head away from her to see Kakarot sit up violently.

" **INJECTIONS!!!"** Goku's voice squeaked out in fear as he shook his head animatedly. " **NO! NO NEEDLES BULMA! ANYTHING BUT NEEDLES!!!** " Vegeta's jaw went completely slack at his fellow Saiyan's antics as the woman's voice spoke up, barely masking the humor in it.

" **It's just three little needles, you should barely feel it...Vegeta.** " Bulma said.

Goku was now desperately scrambling on his belly trying to pull his crippled body away, chanting in fevered panic. " **NO! NO! Nonono...Needles?! NEEDLES?!! NO NEED...wait, Vegeta?** " Bulma couldn't help the laughter bubbling up as she took in the confused look on the face of her oldest friend.

" **Oh my KAMI that never gets old!** " Wiping a small tear forming in her eye, she turned her face toward Vegeta and had to suppress another fit of laughter at the perplexed look on his face. " **He acts like a big baby every time!** " Reaching out to Vegeta's left bicep, she felt for the tear in the armor, revealing skin for a suitable injection site. Pulling his arm out of her grasp, Vegeta looked skeptically between Bulma and the needle.

" **Wait...** " She said in disbelief. " **Are you afraid of them too? Is that a Saiyan thing?** "

Embarrassment flooded Vegeta's features as he huffed out angrily. " **WHAT?! No! A true Saiyan fears nothing. I just don't want my senses and body dulled by your primitive medicine!** "

Sighing at his rude comment, Bulma rubbed her forehead in an attempt to ward off the incoming headache she could feel starting. ' _Can't just once something be easy when dealing with a Saiyan?!'_ Moving the injection pen closer to him, she pointed out the three different chambers holding various liquids, labeling them as she spoke.

" **It's not primitive, it's basic science! Look here, this one is morphine, a type of pain suppressor; this yellowish one, its a Corticosteroid, something to help with inflammation and strengthen organ function, and this last one is an antibiotic, they...** "

Vegeta gruffly interrupted her speech. " **I know what an antibiotic is woman! Tsk! Fine, since you are so insistent, get it over with already!"** Temporarily stunned at his abrasiveness, Bulma almost missed as Vegeta widened the tear in his armor at his shoulder to give her more room to work with.

" **Uh, right...** " She muttered.

Grabbing an alcohol wipe from her kit, she tore it open and used it to wipe away dried blood, leaving a clean site. Clicking the setting on the pen for a full tri-dose, she placed the guard of the pen to his skin and pressed down at the button on the top. " **Because you're** **Saiyan, a full dose should be sufficient enough and probably will only last a few hours.** " Vegeta glanced down as she injected him with the concoction, barely feeling the prick of the needles due to the numbing alcohol wipe she used earlier.

' _Huh, Kakarot is afraid of this?! I barely felt a thing..._ ' After the drugs were administered, Bulma tossed the empty injection pen back into her kit and proceeded to tidy up. Encapsulating the kit, as well as her rifle, away.

' _Ok, now that that's done, I should probably call dad..._ ' She thought.

Bulma reached into one of her pockets of her jacket and pulled out her C.C. phone. Pressing speed dial 2, she put the phone up to her ear as she waited for the call to go through. Still feeling relatively lightheaded from the lack of blood in his body, Vegeta concluded that he should wait till he felt more stable before moving. Watching the woman fiddle with a strange brick-like device, his curiosity had him biting his tongue yet again, as he watched her put it to her ear.

Bulma impatiently tapped her fingers on her thigh, but on the third ring she heard the connection click over and the voice of her father filter through. " **Briefs here...** "

Bulma's voice eagerly chimed back; " **H** **ey dad! It's me, look I need to talk to you about something.** " On the other end of the line Dr. Briefs scratched his mustache, letting out a puff of his cigarette as he heard the voice of his daughter over the phone.

" **Why hello sweetheart, I was just finishing up with something but what do you need?** " Bulma smiled at her father's reply, ' _Leave it to dad to always be working._ ' Shifting her weight fully to her knees, Bulma stood up. Slowly taking a few steps, she began pacing while she talked.

" **Actually I need more of a favor. You see I'm going to have to travel to another planet to get another pair of Dragon Balls and I need my survival, camping, and special tool capsules, plus my dragon radar.** " Vegeta watched with interest as the blue-haired female paced back and forth in front of him, it seemed as if she was talking to someone on the other end of this device.

" **I see...** " Dr. Briefs said. " **And how long will you be gone? Do you need food capsules as well?** "

Bulma halted her pacing to pause and look down at the Saiyan in front of her. His eyebrows arched up questioningly as if to say 'what?' " **I'm not sure, a few weeks to a month maybe?** " She replied noncommittally, shrugging her shoulders toward Vegeta, looking for some sort of confirmation in her assessment. All she got was his blank stare in return. Bulma huffed in annoyance and turned her attention back to her father. " **Can you ask mom for her emergency Saiyan capsules? I'm going to be travelling with someone who probably has just as big as an appetite as Goku.** " Hearing her father shuffle over the phone as he got to work collecting the items she was requesting, Bulma felt like she was starting to relax for the first time since this Frieza thing started.

" **Hmmm, I'll see what Bunny can do. Are you wanting your utility pouch? Your environment and transportation capsules?** " Dr. Briefs said questioningly.

A smile slowly spread across her lips at her father's thoroughness. " **Yes please, and I'll have Krillin stop by to pick them up shortly since I have to leave as soon as possible.** "  
  
At the mention of his name, Krillin stood up straight dropping his hold on Goku and balked at her statement. " **Wha? Who me??** " Putting her free hand over the microphone in her cell, Bulma turned her body to snap irately at Krillin's idiotic question.

" **No Goku, YES OF COURSE YOU!** " Krillin visibly flinched at her shrill voice yelling at him.

Stomping over to him she started to yell at the top of her lungs. Finally breaking under the stress of the situation, Bulma poured all her frustration at poor Krillin. " **YOU'RE the only one capable of getting there quickly right now. Gohan is naked and passed out, Goku's legs are broken and he can barely stand, and Vegeta doesn't know where Capsule Corp. is, let alone in any shape to fly with only 3 pints of blood in him!** **SO WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE?!** " Shrinking back at her display, Krillin ignored the snicker of amusement he heard behind her from Vegeta as he looked into the blue eyes of pure fury.

Sheepishly, Krillin rubbed the back of his head with his good arm and spoke meekly to her. " **Well, _you_ could always go Bulma...**" If looks could kill, Krillin would be a pile of smoldering ash were he stood right now.

" **OH MY KAMI, SERIOUSLY KRILLIN! Even beaten to a pulp and half dead your faster than me in my Hoverplane!** " Krillin raises his hand as if to debate her point but before he can get a word out she grabs him by the front of his gi with her free hand. " **If you don't get your ASS in the air and fly to Caspule Corp. right now I will CASTRATE you and force you to wear you balls as EAR MUFFS!** "

Gulping in fear, Krillin floats up into the air and salutes. " **Gah! Ok! I'm on it, I'm on it!** " Pulling the phone away from her face, Bulma yells in the direction her friend flew off in. " **AND DON'T FORGET SOME CLOTHES FOR GOHAN!** " Slightly in awe of her commanding presence, Vegeta wonders if it wasn't for her abysmally small Ki, this woman would have been a General in the Saiyan ranks.

Turning back to her phone, Bulma props it between her ear and shoulder as she continues on the conversation she was having with her father. " **Sorry about that dad.** " Hearing her father chuckle, Bulma's face pinked in response.

" **Earmuffs dear?** " He father voiced jovially.

Tilting her head back she let out an exasperated groan. " **Give me a break! It's November and my mind is preoccupied with important matters right now...** " Shifting her gaze back down, Bulma notices Goku nervously smiling like a fool. " **Hey dad, I need to call you back. I need to check up on something but I'll have info to help your spaceship project.** " Dr. Briefs's intrigue peaked at the prospect of having his genius daughter helping him with his latest project.

" **Really? Well alright then Bulma, but don't take too long. I need to get back to work soon.** " Her father quipped back.

Nodding to herself, she crouched down to place a hand on Goku's shoulder. " **I won't. Thanks daddy.** "

" **Goodbye dear.** " Dr. Briefs said.

Clicking off the phone, she smiled gently at her friend who she saw almost as a younger brother. " **Hey Goku? Can you try and get a hold of King Kai for me? I want to see if he can try and contact someone on Namek and see if Frieza made it there already. If not, we should probably warn someone that he's coming and that he wants the Dragon Balls.** "

Goku's face lit up at the idea and his puppy-like demeanor returned. " **Oh yeah! That's a really good idea Bulma! You're so smart! I'll try and get a hold of him right now.** " He said eagerly. Shaking her head lightly, Bulma stood up and snickered at his child-like enthusiasm.

" **Thanks Goku. Tell me how it goes ok? I got to go talk to Vegeta about Namek real quick.** "Bulma waited for an answer but saw that Goku already had closed his eyes and was distracted with trying to speak telepathically to his Other World mentor.

' _Well he sure doesn't waste any time..._ ' Bulma thought.

Making her way back to the short-tempered Saiyan on the ground, Bulma saw that the color had somewhat returned to Vegeta's face. " **How are you feeling? You think you can stand?** " As she asked, Bulma pushed some of her hair behind her ear and squatted down next to the warrior.

Eyeing her dubiously, Vegeta ignored her questions and attempted to stand up. His movements were jerky and Bulma reached her left hand to help steady him and provide aid. Vegeta noticed her endeavor to help him and snarled at her. Harmlessly swatting at her hand, he determinedly stood on his own with wobbly legs. " **Well ok then, Mr. grouchy pants...** " Crossing her arms as she straightened herself up, Bulma ran one hand through her hair as a sigh escaped her lips. " **Look, I just want to help. Do you know how far Namek is? How long it will take to get there? Any info would be helpful Vegeta...** " She caught his gaze and his posture stiffened at her use of his name, his snarl that had filled features eased faintly.

" **Please?** " Hearing her politeness as she requested information, Vegeta grumbled and nodded toward his pod.

" **Navigation systems in the pod will answer your incessant questions woman.** " He said as he shuffled slowly toward his pod and Bulma followed closely at his side, trying to subtly offer her frame if he lost his footing.

" **Thank you. It might be a good idea to try and find a way to get the others to Namek. Who knows if we might need help if Frieza arrives there before us.** " Bulma stated. Reaching Vegeta's pod, she stopped at the opening and turned to face him. He scoffed at her words as he clumsily clambered into his pod grunting as he settled into his chair.

" **Having those weaklings there will be pointless if Frieza IS already there.** " Grabbing the outside opening of the pod, Bulma leaned against it.

" **Hey!** " She forced his eyes to match hers with her exclamation.

" **Having two teams able to track down the Dragon Balls means getting them faster than Frieza. We won't be able to confront him, so being 'powerful' won't matter.** " At the words powerful, Bulma made quotation marks in the air with her hands. Vegeta clicked his tongue against his teeth at her display and powered up the pod's navigational system. To his right side, the screen lit up and Vegeta inputted the proper course they would need to take to reach Planet Namek.

Placing her hands back on the lip of the pod, Bulma braced herself as she leaned into the pod to get a better look at the screen. " **Coordinates 9045XY? Is that at the edge of our galaxy?** " Vegeta grunted in agreement as he proceeded to pull up the estimated time and speed of their flight.

" **Almost 7 days at 1475 c?** " Bulma said in wonder. Nodding, Vegeta pulled up the outline of a planet through the flight pattern.

" **Yes. I need to stop to get new armor at outpost Frieza No. 79. Otherwise, it would be just 6 days to get to Namek.** " Vegeta stated. Leaning back and crossing one arm over her chest while resting the other under her chin, Bulma stared at the screen lost in thought.

" **1475 times the speed of light? We haven't made anything that can go that fast yet...WAIT!** " Bulma's exclamation caught Vegeta's attention and he turn questioningly to look at her enthusiastic grin. " **The other Saiyan you came with, the big bald guy...** " Vegeta tilted his head slightly as his lips curled in slight disgust.

" **Nappa? What about him?** " He said. Bulma was bouncing lightly on her heels excitedly, and she clapped her hands together.

" **Yeah him, he came in a pod as well right?** " Bulma voiced excitedly.

Vegeta nodded and shrugged his shoulders " **What about it?** " He said.

Bulma leaned forward and braced her hands on the opening of the pod again. " **My dad could use it's technology for his new ship, or at least he could use the engine to power it. Do you know where it is?** " Bulma questioned. Vegeta grunted and pressed a few more buttons on the pod's navigation console as it beeped in response.

" **I called it to this location.** " He said. Bulma grinned wide in excitement and fist pumped in the air.

" **Yes! Awesome! Thanks Vegeta! That should help a ton in getting the rest of the gang to Namek in less than a couple weeks after us.** " She exclaimed. Vegeta blinked, astonished at her spirited upbeat behavior.  
  
" **Now, to just get the Dragon radar and supplies from Krillin and call my father back then we should be good to go.** " She said optimistically. Bulma pulled out her phone again but before she could finish inputting the numbers to call her father Goku's voice grabbed her attention.

" **Bulma! King Kai says Frieza hasn't shown up on Namek yet.** " Turning fully around to face her friend, she saw him lift himself to a sitting position again. " **He said he got a hold of someone name Guru and they are aware that Frieza is coming. The Namekians are hiding and guarding the Dragon Balls as well as some of their people and want to thank us for the warning.** " Goku said.

Pausing and tilting his head questioningly, Goku's eyes suddenly light up as he nods. " **Oh yeah! Good idea King Kai! He says he will tell Guru of your arrival to** **Namek in a week and that you should seek him out so the warriors protecting the Dragon Balls won't attack you thinking you're working for Frieza.** " Bulma gave Goku a thumbs up as she put her phone to her ear to finally call her father again.

" **Good job Goku, that's good to know. Thank you!** " She said.

Turning back around to face the pod, Bulma saw, off in the distance, Krillin's form flying towards them. As the phone rang, she turned to Vegeta and briefly addressed him. " **Hey, can you send the flight coordinates and location to the other pod and leave it open, that way my father can find everything he needs to navigate to Planet Namek?** " Vegeta turned back to the Nav. screen tapping a few buttons and swiped his fingers to the side of the screen as Bulma hears a *THUNK* behind her. Looking behind her, she sees another pod like the one Vegeta is in and the hatch opens revealing another screen with coordinates to Namek.

" **Perfect!** " Bulma chirped happily as she turned to face Vegeta and a genuine grateful smile lit up her face.

' _Why is she looking at me like that..._ ' Vegeta's bewildered thoughts are interrupted as the woman suddenly speaks up.

" **Dad? Good news! I'm leaving a pod that one of the Saiyans came in with the coordinates to Namek. You might be able to use the engine or output the pod to work with your ship.** "

Her father's chipper voice is heard through the other end. " **Oh that is good news! Estimated time of flight?** "

" **6 days to a week.** " Bulma's concerned voice said. " **But you'll need to make two ships. One for Krillin and Gohan and then one for Goku after he's healed. Also, if you look in my bottom desk drawer in my workshop I have plans for some type of gravity chamber I've been working on.** "

At her mention of this, Vegeta's head snaps to the woman and he wondered just how she was able to come up with something so complex. Oblivious to his questioning gaze, Bulma continued her conversation with her father. " **I still have to work out a few kinks but the core of it is plausible. It just needs a better containment protocol, but it should allow one to increase or decrease the amount of gravity on them in an area.** " On the other end of the phone, Dr. Briefs stroked his mustache thoughtfully and smiled in admiration of his daughter's ingenuity.

" **Hmmm yes that is something! If done correctly it could be used for resistance training, preparing astronauts for zero space, or to test robotics for high gravity areas**." Dr. Briefs said thoughtfuly. Bulma nodded her head in agreement at her father's words.

" **Exactly! I was thinking if you install it into Goku's ship he might be able to do some type of resistance training on his way to Namek. You know how bad of an idea it is to leave Goku bored on a journey with delicate equipment about.** " Bulma rolled her eyes and huffed. Her father's amused chuckle was the only confirmation she got.

Hearing Krillin land near her, Bulma turned to face him. " **Dad, Krillin just got here with the supplies.** "

" **Oh good!** " Dr. Briefs said. " **I put a few extra capsules of components, replacement parts, and wires for you to use. You know, just things for you to keep yourself busy or take apart if you need to.** " Bulma's features softened at her father's gesture as she took the backpack and utility belt Krillin handed her.

" **Dad...** " She said softly.

Dr. Briefs puffed on his cigarette and continued. **"Your mother also put an entire month's worth of food for you and your friend. Hopefully it will be enough.** " Holding back the tears that threatened to spill forth, Bulma could only listen and nod at Krillin. " **We know we can't stop you from what you set your mind out to do, but please be careful out there.** "

Clearing her throat, she struggled to maintain her composure as she replied back. " **Thanks dad, I will. I promise. I love you. Tell mom thank you for me?** "

" **Will do dear. Good luck.** " Her father said.

" **Bye dad.** " Bulma said shakily as she hung up the call and took a deep breath.

Krillin spoke up after she ended the call, his gaze looked at Vegeta's space pod warily. " **Are you sure you want to do this Bulma?** "

Exasperated, Bulma groaned as she clipped the belt around her waist. " **Krillin we don't have many options right now. You heard Vegeta, this Frieza is bad news. Like end of our universe as we know it bad."** She turned and gently tossed the backpack to the floor of his pod. Bulma looked up to see Vegeta's arms crossed impatiently, scowl firmly in place.

" **But to leave with him and go to Namek alone? Are you _crazy_ Bulma?**" Krillin's fearful tone was grating on Bulma's last nerve.

She turned to the ex-monk and hotly added, " **We've talked about this Krillin. I'll be fine. Besides, it's a good thing you're going to follow me in a few days with Gohan so I have nothing to worry about, right?** " Her gaze pinned Krillin to the ground as she rested her fists on her hips in a challenging stance.

Gulping at her gesture, Krillin stuttered out. " **Ye-yeah I guess...** " They both are distracted from their conversation as they notice Gohan's naked figure shuffle over to his father as he tries to talk to Goku.

" **Y** **ou brought him clothes I hope?** " Bulma said as she turned her head to Krillin, her brows lifted in question.

" **Yeah, got it right here.** " He said as he pulled out garments from inside his Gi. Bulma nodded in satisfaction.

" **Good, now you and Gohan get Goku to a hospital. He needs to recover ASAP. Dad's gonna have a ship ready for you and Gohan in 3 to 4 days and one for Goku in 10 days.** " Bulma said before Vegeta's irritated growl drew both of their attention back to the pod.

Sitting inside the pod, Vegeta's arms crossed tighter against his chest as his scowl turned menacing. " **WOMAN! We are wasting valuable time! I WILL NOT wait here any longer giving Frieza time to collect the Dragon Balls for himself.** " Uncrossing his arms, Vegeta proceeded to prepare the pod for its ignition sequence. Flustered and afraid he would leave without her, Bulma quickly moved to get one foot in the pod.

" **Wait! I'm coming!** " She said.

Her actions were halted as Krillin reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from fully getting into the pod. " **Bulma, Please. I still think this is a really bad idea...** " The thin thread that was holding Bulma's temper back snapped. She whipped around and smacked Krillin's hand away so hard he had to shake it to get the sting of her slap off.

Pointing her finger in his face, Bulma shouted in a full commanding tone that would make any drill sergeant proud. " **KRILLIN!** **YOU AND GOHAN GET YOUR ASSES MOVING AND GET GOKU TO A GODDAMN HOSPITAL! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!** " Before she could see the reaction on Krillin's face from her screaming, Bulma felt a firm tug on the inside of her elbow. Vegeta had had enough of the bald midget's interfering.

" **Woman, get in NOW!** " Vegeta said.

He pulled her the rest of the way into the pod just as the lid was closing. Krillin watched helplessly as the pod shot up in the air with both inside, taking only a few seconds before it breached Earth's atmosphere.

Shaking his head, he turned to see Gohan staring at him with apprehension as the boy said shakily. " **Angry Bulma is scary...** "

Krillin laughed grimly and shook his head. " **That she is Gohan. Let's just hope Vegeta thinks the same thing...** " Walking over to the small child, Krillin hands Gohan the clothes he brought for him and bent down to put one of Goku's arms around his shoulders. " **Now, how bout we get your dad some help?** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Vegeta is starting to see how scary Angry Bulma can be...
> 
> This actually was a hard chapter for me to write. So much had to get done and covered, and I had to keep coming back at it due to I got sick. Here's hoping that next chapter will be more fun to write and I'll feel much better too.
> 
> *Edit: there was alot that got overlooked in the first post so I edited as much as I could after the first 10 hours of release. Unfortunately, Hubs and I are not at our best (he's super tired from taking care of my sick butt) so some mistakes got through. Hopefully I've gone back and caught them all but if not I apologize.


	3. A Saiyan Always Keeps His Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma and Vegeta are stuck in very closed space for quite a while. Questions are asked, innuendos are made, and hilarity ensues. They make a stop at Planet Frieza Outpost No. 79 and getting new gear for both. Cui tries to suggest Bulma be left behind with him for Frieza 'as a gift' since he has just landed on Namek. Vegeta shows protective tendencies (confused by it) and the pair hastily make their way to Namek after causing an uproar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> WOW! so many people have Kudoed and read this fic! I'm really honored that you all like what I've wrote so far! Please, really feel free to leave comments on what you think of the chapters. What you liked what you didn't understand or whatever. It really helps me to have feedback so I know what to focus on in the future! 
> 
> So far I have titles and a very rough idea/ouline up to chapter 6 but as always fleshing it out is always a trial. It is getting a bit easier each time but I'm noticing my dedication to editing and checking is getting lax. So again, if anyone would like to be a "Beta" and get a chance to check for me before I post I would more than be willing to take the help. Just send me a message!
> 
> *Edited: So I went ahead and reformatted everything to be more reader friendly and spaced out better. Hope you enjoy!

** Previously: **

" **Woman, get in NOW!** " Vegeta said.

He pulled her the rest of the way into the pod just as the lid was closing. Krillin watched helplessly as the pod shot up in the air with both inside, taking only a few seconds before it breached Earth's atmosphere.

Shaking his head, he turned to see Gohan staring at him with apprehension as the boy said shakily. " **Angry Bulma is scary...** "

Krillin laughed grimly and shook his head. " **That she is Gohan. Let's just hope Vegeta thinks the same thing...** " Walking over to the small child, Krillin hands Gohan the clothes he brought for him and bent down to put one of Goku's arms around his shoulders. " **Now, how 'bout we get your dad some help?** "

** A Saiyan Always Keeps His Word**

As Bulma fell backwards into the pod, She clumsily knocked her head against the lip of the opening. Wincing with a hiss, she grabbed her head. " **GodDAMN IT! Son of a BITC...** " Her words were cut off as the pod violently launched into space, the force flinging her body against the irate Saiyan in front of her.

Their heads knocked together leaving her to groan out in pain and him to bark out defensively. " **WOMAN! Sit STILL! There is no room for you to be so reckless.** "

Rubbing her head gingerly, Bulma stared down Vegeta in response. **"It's not like I'm TRYING to! YOU pulled me in without a warning!"** Her eyes flashed with fire as she tried to hold herself up with one arm in the small space. " **I don't know if you noticed,** ** _y_ _our highness_** **, but there's not a lot of room in here!** " As to prove a point, Bulma gave up trying to hold herself up and turned to sit in the Saiyan's lap. Her action caused Vegeta's eyes to widen in shock and released a strangled, embarrassed squawk of disbelief. Heat flooded Bulma's cheeks at the close proximity of their bodies. She quickly dipped her head down and rummaged through her backpack for her scouter, her hair falling to cover her blushing face. Her movements gave Vegeta enough time to collect his scrambled thoughts and glare back with contempt.

" **How dare you! I'm the Prince of all Sayians! I'm not to be used as a chair for ill-tempered weak harpies!** "

At his words Bulma's head shot up, temporarily forgetting her embarrassment, and yelled back. " **HARPY!?!?! OH! I'll give you _ill-tempered_...**"  
  
Bulma shifted her weight turning to face Vegeta, forcing her body to to be pressed further into his. Her soft curves pressing into his chest and lap caused the Saiyan to choke on his rebuttal. Vegeta felt a rush of blood reach his face and ears, as he stared at the woman dumbfounded. Bulma took in his features and all thoughts of ripping Vegeta a new one halted. A giddy warmth flooded through her veins at the idea he might be affected by her. " **Or is this all just a front to cover up the fact you're hot under the collar at having a beautiful, intelligent woman sitting in your lap for the first time in your life?** " Bulma tossed him a coy wink with a knowing smile to see if it was truly her that ruffled the poor man's feathers. Vegeta was left open mouthed, speechless. His blush went nuclear, reaching from his face to his neck.

After a few moments, he was able to compose himself enough to shout back at her. **"** **WHA?....I...YOU....VULGAR WOMAN!** " Vegeta's hands gripped the armrests of his chair fiercely as he struggled to maintain his composure. Bulma clutched at her ribs as genuine laughter erupted from her, the airy and seductive sound left Vegeta baffled. He had never heard someone laugh like that before, a laugh of pure unadulterated joy.

" **Oh my KAMI! I was just teasing you.** " She wiped at a tear formed in her eye due to her mirth, and gave him a gentle honest smile. " **I didn't expect you to be so shy!** " Bulma chuckled one last time before moving her attention to the scouter in her lap and uncapsuled her tools to work. " **Or maybe it's just with me?** " She added in a low whisper, hoping to hide the eager tone in her voice.

' _Damn it Bulma! He killed your friends and wouldn't bat an eye to kill you! Why do you HAVE to flirt with the devil? LITERALLY! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?!!'_ Shaking herself internally, she took his silence as affirmation that he didn't hear her last statement.  
  
Vegeta's thoughts were in too much of a mess to be able to hear her implications. The woman had thrown him completely for a loop. His feelings battled between perplexed outrage to hopeful apprehension. Her scent was soft and feminine with hints of vanilla, beckoning to his most basic male instincts that he had spent most of his life stomping down. The voluptuous shape of her body pressed against his thighs and chest, revealed a sensual and toned form, yet nothing of it screamed "warrior or fighter" to him. Her silky straight teal colored hair teasingly brushed past his face, tempting the Sayian's fingers to push it back and out of his way. Growling at his strong desire to act, Vegeta gripped the arm rests of his chair harder, enough to hear it cracking underneath his grip. Everything about her was like a siren's song to him, bewitching and seductive beyond anything he's ever experienced before.

' _What the HELL is this_ _woman?!'_

Gritting his teeth, Vegeta tried to distract himself from the woman sitting in his lap and looked to the object she was working on. He recognized it as a standard scouter, but he couldn't remember ever seeing any of the fighters with such technology. " **Where did you get that?** " Bulma's hands stilled as she looked up over her shoulder to match her gaze with the man behind her.

" **What? This?"** She said as she lifted up the half dismantled scouter in her lap. " **I got this off of** **Raditz...** " Turning her head back to the project in her lap, she missed the grimace on Vegeta's face when she mentioned the other Sayian's name. Although Raditz was younger and a third class Saiyan, he had proven his loyalty to Vegeta repeatedly.

' _Nappa gave Raditz info on Earth as well, his betrayal ran deeper than I thought.'_ Putting those morose thoughts aside, Vegeta focused his attention back to the woman in front of him.

Bulma was resetting wires and sorting though an assortment of cables and attachments in her lap while she mindlessly babbled on about her plans for the scouter. **"I** **t was pretty much trashed when I found it. It was only able to receive transmissions. That's how we knew you and your friend were coming to Earth and were able to prepare for it. I was able to rewire and exchange some parts, in order to understand the technology better, while making some modifications and translating it to English.** " Lifting up the scouter, Bulma leaned back against him to show the innards of it up close. Oblivious to his stiff posture, she pointed to a slightly impaired chip and an empty spot near the power cell in the ear piece.

" **Like here, for instance. There was a broadcasting chip that would keep the microphone on and signal out to a receiver in space even when 'powered off'."** She made the quotations with her hands while still holding on to the scouter in one as she rolled her eyes. Turning her head, she gave Vegeta a knowing mischievous smirk, unable to keep the smug smile off her face.

" **I was able to trace the source within hours, and removed the equipment that forced the mic to auto broadcast. I hope to still pick up basic signals or broadcasts given out to other scouters nearby, but it probably would be limited to planet wide signal range.** " Vegeta was struggling to hear her speech as her silky hair pressed into his cheek at their closeness. However, hearing that the scouters were constantly broadcasting back to Frieza caused his focus to snap back. Seeing the look of surprise on Vegeta's face boosted Bulma's confidence even more. She turned back to her lap and picked up a small chip and proceeded to place it in the scouter, using her tools to fix it in the empty spot.

" **I built a chip to encode all transmissions and sync up with all my other communication devices, but I was unable to finish installing and testing it. I'll still need to reroute the power output and fix the overheating sync issues...** " Bulma trailed off as she finished inserting and securing the chip, and turned the scouter on to check to see if everything worked. Seeing the lens light up and display everything properly, she grinned triumphantly. " **Yes!** " Bulma turned the scouter back off to work on the heat syncing issues she mentioned earlier. However, she was distracted halfway through by Vegeta's grunt of approval.

" **Well done woman, you actually might be as clever as you claim.** " Her sparkling blue eyes full of confidence met his own, as Vegeta's brow quirked up questioningly.

" **Clever? I'm a GODDAMNED genius!** " His deadpanned disbelieving stare was his only reply to her words fueling her inner fire to prove herself to the Saiyan. " **What?! You don't believe me? Fine. Take this for starters.** " She pulled out a small device the size of a lipstick container, and proceeded to show its components and function to Vegeta. " **It's a type of EMP I made but on steroids. It sends out a huge electromagnetic wave, like when you guys power up, and fries any sensitive electrical equipment in a 100 meter radius.** " Pausing to let her words sink in, she started to piece the device back together.

" **Although, it's not complete yet. I still need to find a proper power source and signal boosting chip like in the scouters. However, when it's done, I was planning on using it to prevent any other devices from broadcasting out to space.** " A small frown crossed her features as her voice grew soft and serious. " **I figured the less the universe out there knew about our small haven of a planet the better...** " Glancing up to meet his gaze with a somber look, she sighed wearily. " **And from what you told me, it looks like I was wise to think so.** "

Vegeta averted his gaze to the devices still in the woman's lap, he couldn't meet her piecing and perceptive blue eyes. ' _It's like those eyes could see right into my thoughts..._ '

" **Hn,** " Vegeta grunted in reluctant agreement and nodded his head subtly toward her lap. " **Outpost No. 79 has an equipment room in its barracks for soldiers who need resupply. You can get anything you need from there, quickly, while I get new armor.** " Nodding her head in silent agreement, Bulma packed the EMP device away and quickly set back to work on finishing the last phase of rewiring her scouter. Half distracted by her working fingers, she asked absentmindedly a question that was burning in the back of her mind.

" **You really think Frieza is after the Dragon Balls on Namek?** " Hearing his grunted reply, she smirked and laughed silently to herself.

' _Man of few words, huh..._ ' Grabbing her miniature soldering iron, she tilted her face toward the Saiyan and asked while soldering her wires in place. " **How did he find out about them?** " Her question instinctively made Vegeta's fingers flex in agitation at the mention of Frieza. As he forced himself to relax, he stared at the hypnotic movement of her hands on her work. Half zoning out to his own thoughts, he voiced the conclusion he came to since before Nappa even fought against Kakarot.

 **"I believe Nappa betrayed my trust and orders. He warned Frieza of our intentions with the Dragon Balls before we even arrived on Earth. I had my suspicions before we landed, but it wasn't until the death of the Namekian when he mentioned that we could get the ones on Namek that confirmed it for** **me.** " Vegeta paused in his explanation as her head lifted to meet his gaze in a confused and questioning manner.

" **Nappa?** " She said tilting her head to the side as if trying to recall the name.

One eyebrow shot up haughtily as Vegeta took in her gesture. " **Yes my** **' _shitty giant butt buddy_ ' of a ' _thug_ ' as you so eloquently called him.**" At his rephrasing of her words, Bulma bit down on her bottom lip and blushed faintly at her crass wording of one of his subordinates.

" **Uh, yeah...** " She sheepishly said as he looked at her with his pragmatic stare. Vegeta gave her a few moments of his gaze before he grunted and averted his eyes.

" **Hn, well you weren't entirely wrong. Over the last few years of Frieza's ... _'_ _r_ _equired_ _training sessions'_...**" The disgusted and abhorrent snarl Vegeta made at the words made it clear it was anything but full of Frieza's nightmarish tortures. The animosity seeped from his voice and Bulma got the feeling the Saiyan himself was subjected to far too many of those ' _sessions_ ' himself. She stifled a cold shudder at the thought of what went on during one, if even the blood thirsty manic next to her found it traumatizing, and quickly shifted her focus quietly back to her work. " **He changed somewhat, became more like what you said...a thug.** " Vegeta stared out into space as he reflected on the relationship he had with the older Saiyan. His voice was cold and calculating as he tried to distance himself from the emotions swirling inside.

" **I found evidence through my scouter while he was busy with your fighters. He had contacted and received information from Frieza about Namek while I was in stasis, and was ordered to ' _intervene_ ' if I was close to reaching the Dragon Balls on Earth.**" Vegeta's hands fisted painfully and Bulma could hear the grinding of his teeth as the barely suppressed rage emanated from him. " **Frieza tried to make sure that I would never get my revenge.** " His anger at Nappa's betrayal was just as potent as when he first found out. It was right before Nappa had asked him about Kakarot's power level. Destroying the scouter was the only way to hide Vegeta's rage enough before calming his mind and plan his revenge.

Upon seeing the man seething next to her, Bulma instinctively placed her hand on his forearm in an attempt to soothe and gain his attention. His flesh under her fingers tensed at the gentle touch. The fury in his eyes dulled and grew wary as Vegeta matched her calm blue gaze.

" **Hey, we have the element of surprise on our side. Frieza has no idea you're coming or that we can track the Dragon Balls, right?** " His silent steely stare was her only encouragement. Bulma nodded her head in affirmation and turned herself more to face the Saiyan. " **We'll find the Dragon Balls before he does, get you your wish and your vengeance. I promised I would help you and I will.** " The wariness in Vegeta's eyes dissipated and was replaced with something else that she couldn't quite make out. Bulma gently squeezed his forearm with her hand that still rested atop of it, trying to validate the truth in her words.

" **You're not alone in this Vegeta. Frieza _will not_ win this time...**" The Saiyan's silence matched with a look akin to respect in his eyes made Bulma's face flush. Embarrassed with her sudden boldness toward him, She retracted the hand that was resting on top of his arm and pushed back some of her hair. Attempting to avoid awkwardness, Bulma set to assembling the cover on her scouter after finishing her rewiring.

' _We make an odd pair, the ingenious, kindhearted socialite and the introverted, homicidal avenger_.' Smiling ironically to herself, Bulma was oblivious to Vegeta's admiring gaze as he looked at the small, yet brilliant, teal haired woman in his lap. Both were lost in thought, neither one aware of the growing mutual respect for one another. Glancing over at the navigation display, Vegeta internally winced as his muscles screamed out in stiffness.

' _Has it really only been 6 hours since we left?'_ Sighing heavily, Vegeta attempted to shift his weight, subtly adjusting the female in his lap to relieve some of the ache in his already battered limbs. Bulma's head shot up at his movements, she caught the end of his wince in pain as the majority of her weight pressed against his wounded chest.

" **Ah! Shit! Sorry, I'm hurting you aren't I?** "

Vegeta scoffed at her accusation that she could hurt him, and moved to grab her legs to readjust them over his legs more comfortably. " **Tsk! Please woman, you could never hurt me. I Just need rest to heal and your tinkering is making it impossible.** "

Bulma silently kept her opinion to herself that not less than a few hours ago she held him at gun point with the threat of death. Her jumbled thoughts slammed to a halt as he used his gloved hands to shift her legs and weight on top of his muscle-hardened body. Grunting his approval at being able to stretch out his sore legs after re-situating her, he noticed her still stiff posture - her hands holding her tools in her lap. With one of his hands still resting at her knee to keep them in place, his other moved to the small of her back to provide support and cushion from the hard metal of the arm rest. Slouching the top half of his torso, he moved her shoulder and head to brace against his bicep and chest easing the pinch in his chest wound that her shoulders were causing. Bulma didn't dare breath as the warrior gently shifted and adjusted her body around. Not until she heard his sigh of relief and the stilling of his movements did she take her first shaky breath. Bulma should have been outraged at his manhandling of her body, but it was taking every coherent thought she had to try and still her panicked heart. As strong as he was, Vegeta was deliberately being gentle in his touch and movements. This caused her heart to race for an entirely different reason than anger. Cautiously clearing her throat before speaking, she glanced up at him through her bangs to see his eyes closed.

" **Better?** " She whispered.

Vegeta grunted, his eyebrows furrowing in response. His eyes remained closed as his gruff voice answered back. " **Hn.** **For now, how long do you need to finish that contraption? We are more than 62 hours away from the outpost and I would rather spend most of it in stasis.** "

Looking down at the mess in her lap she shook her head lightly to clear her wayward thoughts. " **Uh right, I'm pretty much done here. I'll just pack this back up.** " Bulma hurriedly stuffed the scouter and recapsuled her tools, earning a surprised gasp from Vegeta as the tools vanished in a puff of smoke.

" **I'll never get used to that...** " he muttered quietly to himself, earning him a soft laugh from the woman in his lap. Placing the capsule back in her coat pocket and pushing the backpack down to the floor, she looked back at him with mirth.

" **Yeah it takes some getting used to, heck Goku called me a witch for the first few months we travelled together back when I was 15...** " Vegeta turned his gaze to her with a look that said he really didn't want to hear anything more of 'said hero', as his scowl bordered on threatening. Bulma wisely clamped her mouth shut and bit the inside of her lip to keep from commenting on it. Upon seeing she wasn't going to talk anymore about the third class warrior, Vegeta's glare lessened. Looking past her to the panel in front, he lifted his foot and tapped the stasis engage button. The system beeped loudly and a computerized voice floated over them.

" _ **Stasis mode engaged in...5...4...**_ "

Bulma moved her hands to Vegeta's chest to brace herself, as the Saiyan pulled her to him so her limp body wouldn't slide out of his grasp onto the floor during stasis. Unable to clamp down on the embarrassed squeak that left her mouth, her cheeks pinked at the sudden close contact.

" _ **3**_ _ **...2...**_ "

The computer continued. Vegeta looked down at the flustered female questioningly, as their eyes locked his mouth suddenly went dry. Being so close to her scent and beauty had a strange affect on him, one he was not looking forward to deciphering later. " **W-wait, I wasn't ready...** " Bulma managed to stutter out just before the robotic voice finished.

" _ **...1...Stasis complete.**_ "

The last thing Vegeta saw before he succumbed to sleep was the woman's beautiful blue eyes fluttering closed as her head slumped against his shoulder. His last conscious thought was just as dangerous as he didn't think he minded her being so close. In fact, he was certain the strange sense of calm and warmth that washed over would unnerve him when he next awoke.

  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" _ **Stasis** **disengaged...**_ "

Vegeta slowly regained consciousness as the computerized voice filled the pod with its announcement. Blinking a few times slowly, he became aware of the woman still sleeping against him. Her head had slumped forward to rest against his jaw as her breath gently fanned his neck. His eyes shot open wide as the intimacy of the situation dawned on his sleep addled mind. During their rest, his hold on her had changed. His hand that was bracing her back had shifted to her hip, pulling her closer to his chest and further into his embrace. His other hand that was holding her knees to keep her legs on his lap had slid down to the top of her thigh. The effect pulled her in tighter with his forearm pressing against the outside of her knee. Panic caused the Saiyan's posture to stiffen in an attempt to not wake the woman. His mind raced with thoughts on how to remove himself from the awkward situation. However, as if by some cruel twist of fate, the computerized voice blared back at him in that moment in its unsympathetic tone.

" _ **5 minutes out from destination, Planet Frieza no. 79.**_ "

Cussing internally, Vegeta watched with apprehension as the woman stirred awake. He was half expecting the encounter to end up similar to others: yelling and screaming, or fearful tears. Bulma's head tilted slightly as her drowsy expression took in her surroundings. As her sleepy eyes drifted to his face, he saw the recognition dawn on her. Vegeta held his breath, his body tense and braced for the onslaught of chaos that was sure to come. However, what the woman actually did caused his brain to short-circuit and stare at her stupefied. Bulma gave the Saiyan a languid smile with a coquettish wink, her voice deep with sleep and a flirtatious tone to it.

" **Well, hello there! Good morning...** " Not getting a response, Bulma furrowed her brows and looked out the lid of the pod to the void outside. " **Or is it night? Are we close to the outpost?** " Her question jump-started his tired brain back to functioning, he closed his eyes with a sigh to get his thoughts in order. Moving his hand from her leg to his face, Vegeta rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

" **We are less than 5 minutes out, hopefully we can arrived undetected...** " His voice gravelly from sleep was interrupted by the piercing sound of the computer's voice once again.

" _ **Outpost** **79 has been contacted successfully...Welcome back Prince Vegeta"**_

Pinching his nose between his eyes, he hissed out under his breath. " **Shit...** " Bulma sat up and straightened her self out at his distress.

" **I guess not huh...** " She muttered, and turned her head to face him. " **Ok so on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst case scenario, how much trouble are we in when we arrive?** " Vegeta breathed out slowly through his nose as he removed his hand from his face to look stoically at the woman.

" **If Frieza's there?** " he calmly asked. Bulma nodded her head tentatively at his question as his eyes took on a dark humor. " **I'd say about a 12...** " He scoffed. Bulma's mouth went dry as she struggled to subdue her rising fear.

" **Well then, I guess we better hope he's not there...** " Vegeta's bitter grunt of agreement did little to ease her concerns. He looked over the woman, the fear evident in her eyes as she gripped his tattered armor in her hands tightly. Vegeta could see her frantic mind searching for solutions to unknown problems.

" **Look here woman...** " He said firmly as he shook her lightly to get her full attention. " **Even with Frieza gone you still have a planet with a thousand of Frieza's most loyal and trusted soldiers. You cannot act out against me, or leave my side."** Gritting his teeth and fisting his hands, his gaze grew distant as if reliving some horrid memory. **"Even with my status, I am not entirely safe among their ranks.** " His focus returned, shifting his stern eyes to meet hers. " **You will listen and obey my commands or I will not be able to guarantee your safety. Do you understand?** "

The seriousness in his features and voice had Bulma nodding solemnly, and meekly replied with a " **Yes.** " Holding her in his steely gaze for no more than a heartbeat, he turned his eyes toward the lid of the pod as the computerized voice once again spoke up.

" _ **Thirty seconds until landing. Brace for**_ ** _impact._** "

Gently grabbing her arms with his free hand, Vegeta brought them to her chest and re-wrapped his arm around her shoulders and chest. Snuggly fitting her to him, he shifted her legs and waist to sit on one leg as his other hand gripped the arm rest to his side. Getting used to his adjustments and handling of her body, Bulma just turned her face to him with a quirk of her eyebrow.

The Saiyan avoided eye contact and grunted before replying quietly. " **Impact pads do not always work, and I don't need you flying into the lid knocking yourself out...** "

" **Ah...** " she replied knowingly.

" _ **Impact in 10..9..**_ _"_

The computer counted down. Vegeta's gruff voice spoke up in her ear, talking over the countdown. " **When we land, let me leave first. The guards will be less likely to make trouble for us if they see me.** " Bulma fought hard to stem the blush rising to her face as his warm breath caressed her cheek and neck.

" **G-good idea.** " She quickly stammered out.

" _ **..3...2...1...Impact!**_ "

Bulma barely had time to grit her teeth and brace back into the Saiyan as the pod lurched her forward in its brutal landing. If it wasn't for the firm grip Vegeta had around her, she was sure the force throwing her forward would have knocked her head hard enough to cause her to black out, or worse.

 _ **"**_ _ **Landing successful.**_ "

The robotic voice stated as it released the latch on the lid of the pod. Relaxing his grip after the landing, Vegeta moved to shift around in front of her as his pod opened. Turning his head to look back at her briefly, he held out his hand to halt her movements.

" **Stay here.** " His stern look brooked no arguments, and Bulma nodded her head reluctantly and settled herself back in the chair to wait. As the guards waiting outside his pod shuffled to greet the Saiyan prince, Vegeta stepped out of the pod with arrogant authority.

" **P-Prince V-Vegeta!** " They stuttered as they straightened and gave a lackadaisical salute to the Prince of Saiyans.

Vegeta sneered in disgust at their half-assed gesture. Glaring at them with contempt, he lifted his head up and spoke. " **I have come to request an audience with Frieza. I have brought someone with information that might interest him.** " The guards looked at each other in confusion. The shorter one shrugged his shoulders and turned back to address the Saiyan.

" **Lord Frieza is off planet on an important mission. He left not more than 24 hours ago with both Commander Dodoria and General Zarbon.** " Maintaining his composure, Vegeta's posture relaxed slightly at the mention that his two prominent tormentors were off planet, as well as, Frieza.

" **Tsk, Fine! We will need the barracks for new armor then be on our way to meet up with them.** " Turning back to the pod he leaned in and lightly grasped the woman's arm. " **Come woman!** " Bulma hesitated at the abrasive tone of his voice, but his eyes softened when he met her wary gaze. His earlier warning rang in her head, as she steeled her resolve and followed him out of the pod.

" **We!?** " The guards said unanimously as they looked at each other and then back to the pod, mouths dropping as the Prince pulled out the most gorgeous looking female either of them had even seen. " **HOLY SHII-oomff!** " The shorter guard exclaimed before his companion elbowed him hard in the gut silencing his outburst.

" **Shsssh!** " The taller guard said. Both openly gawked at the woman. Her bright teal coloring and pale, milky skin along with the lush curves of her body would leave any male coveting after her. 

Bulma nervously shuffled to hide behind Vegeta, as the warrior whispered. " **Stay close.** " Vegeta turned his deadly gaze toward the guards and snarled aggressively. He leveled his most intimidating stare with his fangs barred at both guards. " **Did you say something? MONGRELS!** "

Both guards snapped back to attention, shouting back " **No sir!** " as they stood rigidly.

" **That's what I thought!** " Vegeta growled back menacingly as he stomped past them, with the woman close on his heels. Bulma kept as close as she dared without stepping on Vegeta's boots as she followed the Saiyan through the halls, past many other gaping soldiers. Keeping her eyes glued to the Saiyan's back, she tried to ignore some of the crude and suggestive whispers she heard as they passed by. Vegeta stared daggers at every passer-by as if daring them to test his fury, keeping them safe from questions. As they passed through a doorway into the barrack's locker room, Bulma instinctively reached a hand out to grab at his side. Cowering, to hide as much of her body behind Vegeta as she could, the men in the room's leering gazes ogle at her form.

' _Oh Kami help me! What have I gotten myself into!_ ' She mentally berated herself as she clung to the Saiyan's ramrod straight back.

" **My, my, Vegeta!** " A slithering serpent-like creature hissed to their right, its eyes slid lustfully down her body as his tongue flicked out tasting her scent in the air. " **That's a sweet little piece you picked up there...** " The creature's tongue flicked out closer almost brushing by Bulma's face as he inched closer to her. Without a second thought, Vegeta's right arm curved behind him, putting him between the cobra-like alien and the woman. " **Maybe after you tire of her, you wouldn't mind sharing? Hell! I wouldn't even mind if she wasn't breathing...** " The serpent's eyes glinted evilly as his words earned a few chuckles of agreement from the men around him. Bulma's right hand gripped Vegeta's forearm tightly as if to keep his arm shielding her from the snake alien next to her. It took all of Bulma's will-power to not weep in terror and shove her face into the warrior's back. Glaring back with all the rage she could muster, she narrowed her eyes at the creature. Gasping gleefully, the serpent alien leaned in closer, his forked tongue flicking rapidly.

" **AH! This one has fire in her! Oh, to be the one to break her...** " His voice died in his throat as an animalistic growl ripped from Vegeta's chest.

" **Rigll...** " Vegeta's lethal warning was all it took for the snake-like alien to step back quickly, backing off his assault. Shifting his gaze around at the other startled men in the room, Vegeta raised his voice to be heard.

" **This woman was a special request from Lord Frieza! She has knowledge vital to his mission and is not to be touched...** " The Saiyan's death-like stare turned to the alien Rigll, unable to hid the malevolent smirk on his lips as his tone turned venomous. " **Unless YOU would like to explain to Lord Frieza why his 'gift' failed to arrive to him _unharmed_.**" At the serpent's fearful wide-eyed gaze, Vegeta turned to look around the room questioningly to the rest of the men. " **No? Anyone else then?** " His voice pierced the silence permeating the room as every soldier's gaze fell to the floor, unable to look the Saiyan in the eye. Laughing lightly to himself, Vegeta smirked as every single man present was quietly voicing their fear of the lizard tyrant.

" **Hn, Didn't think so...** " Vegeta mentally berated himself as he noticed that his arm was still placed behind him, pinning the woman close to his back in a defensive gesture. Pulling his arm back around to his side, he clenched his hands tensely as if beating down the feeling of the protectiveness that had overcome him. " **Tsk, Now leave!** " Vegeta shouted at the startled soldiers, his eyes narrowed in warning as one of his fists' started to faintly glowing blue with his Ki. " **I won't ask again...** "

A clattering of sound was their only response, as each man frantically grabbed their gear and armor so as to not be the last one out of the room. As the last soldier hurriedly exited the room, Bulma released a sigh of relief and stepped away from Vegeta. Shaky legs gave out from under her as she plunked clumsily down on the bench beside her. Vegeta eyed her curiously as the blue Ki from his fist vanished with a hiss. Gulping down a huge breath, she looked up weakly at the Saiyan warrior in front of her.

" **Well that was ...close...** "

Grunting in agreement, Vegeta started to peel off his chest armor gingerly, deciding a shower was in order to rinse off the blood and dirt from his body. Staring blankly ahead, still numb because of what had transpired, Bulma didn't realize what she was seeing till the grievous looking wound on Vegeta's chest came into her focus.

" **Oh right, I should probably have a look at that.** " She said as she pulled out and uncapsulated her medical box. Cocking his head to the side, Vegeta looked down to himself seeing that the wound had healed substantially. His flesh had knitted together well enough that the hardened foam she had used to stop the bleeding was almost completely pushed out of his body. Picking the rest of the hard foam out of the wound, Vegeta flicked it to the side and raised his head back up to watch as the woman closed the gap between them.

" **No need woman. Your aid stopped the bleeding and by the time we reach Namek the wound will have completely healed.** " Huffing in agitation, Bulma's stubborn eyes locked with his as she held up a pen like device with a laser tip on the end.

" **Well at least let me help you get the adhesives off properly, otherwise you'll take skin and hair off remember?** " He winced slightly at her words and reluctantly nodded his agreement.

" **Hn, Fine, but be quick.** " Vegeta said.

His face turned away from her as she moved to close the gap and set to work on removing the bandages. Bulma's hands moved deftly over his skin as she heated the adhesive with her laser pen, swiftly and painlessly removing the strips of second skin. She smiled smugly to herself as each gash from before showed no signs of ever being there. She couldn't contain her pride anymore when she stripped the bandage from his back that was cut almost to the bone and revealed smooth, healed skin.

" **God! I'm a fucking genius!** " She lifted her head to see the Saiyan give her a quirk of his brow coupled with a snort of disbelief. Glaring back at him defensively, she coolly voiced out " **Legs!** " His brows furrowed in confusion, until she tapped the side of one of his thighs where an adhesive was placed.

" **Lift up your leg, or I could always crouch down and stick my face near your crotch if you want...** " Vegeta's startled expression at her touch turned quickly to flushed anger while his snarl warned her of his distaste for her suggestive comment. Bulma chuckled softly as the Saiyan prince lifted one leg and placed it on the bench in front of him. " **Oh come on, it was just a joke.** " She said as she hastily set to work on removing the rest of the bandages on his legs. His silence was almost deafening as she finished, straightening herself and encapsulating away the kit again. Turning to one of the racks with armor on it, Vegeta grabbed it irritably and stomped toward the showers.

" **Jeez, touchy!** " Bulma muttered to herself, stiffening as the cantankerous man swiftly turned to her and glared.

Pointing at her with an icy stare, Vegeta spat out " **DON'T MOVE!** " He didn't wait for her reply and made his escape to the showers, leaving Bulma alone on the bench in the locker room. Collapsing in on herself, her head cradled in her hands, Bulma took a few moments to collect her thoughts.

' _ **"**_ _ **Don't move,"**_ _he says...where the HELL would I go? It's not like anywhere is...Oh MY GOD I HAVE TO PEE!'_ Her head shot up as she looked sided to side frantically for any signs of a restroom. The sudden urge had hit her like a tidal wave and she rushed to the toilets just past the showers. Praying that the Saiyan wouldn't finish his shower too quickly, she slipped into a stall as stealthily as she could to relieve herself. Turning to the seat, her face fell as the massive toilet looked to be chest high and big enough to swallow her whole.

" **You've got to be shitting me...** " She exclaimed.

Before she could debate on trying to find a more human sized receptacle, the urge hit her again nearly making her wet herself. " **Damn it!** " She hissed out under her breath and jumped up to grab hold of the edge of the seat and proceed to try and alleviate her screaming bladder. With a little luck and a lot of leverage, Bulma managed to maintain her balance and not fall in. Comically, the 'tissue' used to clean up almost acted as a blanket but after a few well placed tears she was finished and walked to the sink to wash up. " **Kami, I hope I never have to go through THAT again!** " Wiping her hands on another large towel, she suddenly noticed the water from the showers had stopped. " **Oh SHIT!** " Her eyes grew wide, and she raced to get back to her spot on the bench before Vegeta noticed her absence. Skidding to a halt, Bulma almost ran into the crossed arms and chest of a very irate Saiyan glaring daggers at her.

" **Woman, _what_ did I say...**" Decked out in new armor and looking every bit battle ready, he gave her the impression of a lethal predator.

" **Yes, yes, I know! But I really had to pee! It just hit all of a sudden and I just barely made it, as it is.** " She rushed out desperately in hopes to calm his fury. Vegeta grunted and averted his gaze from her.

" **Hn, one of the many results of prolonged stasis...** " His words trailed off as he took in a black suit of armor next to her.

" **Oh...Wait. Just one?** " Bulma said quizzically. Nodding his head in silent agreement, Vegeta reached past her to grab the two-pieced armor and tossed it to her.  
  
" **Put this on, your current gear lacks proper protection. You are weak and useless enough, as is.** "

Bulma huffed and puffed her cheeks out in anger, as she removed the armor that landed on her head, covering her face. Seeing the one-sided, devilish smirk on his face, Bulma bit back her anger and muttered under her breath as she plonked down on a bench. " **Jerk...** " Kicking off her boots with more gusto, she set the armor to her right side. " **Asshole...** " Unclasping her utility belt, she set it to her left side as she grumbled " **...arrogant prick...** " Grabbing the zipper on her dress jacket, Bulma absent-mindedly pulled it half way down her chest before remembering she wasn't alone. Pausing her hand midway, she looked up in trepidation as her eyes met the amused look on Vegeta's face. His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned his shoulder on the side of the wall.

" **Please, don't mind me. Continue...I believe 'arrogant prick' was where you last left off...** " He said, his eyes twinkling dangerously. Momentarily stunned by his words, it took Bulma a minute for their meaning to sink in.

Cocking one eyebrow up and giving the warrior a coy smirk, she smugly replied. " **Uh... little privacy please? This peep show ain't for free...** " Vegeta's eyes widened in shock as his relaxed posture stiffened in response. Pulling down her zipper a few inches more, Bulma coyly looked up at him through her lashes trying her best to agitate the Saiyan, getting back at him for his earlier comment. " **Unless you WANT to see more, can't say I blame you...I AM drop dead gorgeous!** " Staring at the zipper as it moved with her words, Vegeta's mind went blank as he watched it expose the milky cleavage underneath. Snapping his eyes to her face, he was finally shook out of his stupor as a diabolical grin split her features.

Mortified at his reaction to her teasing, Vegeta snapped back vehemently " **VULGAR WOMAN!** " Bulma's cackling filled the air as Vegeta stomped over, red faced, and snatched one of her boots from the floor. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned to him curiously.

" **Wha? My boot!** "

" **SHUT IT!** " Vegeta snapped back viciously. " **Hurry up and get changed you HIDEOUS female!** " He turned his back to her and stalked out of the room to look for proper footwear and gloves.

" **Hideous?!?** " She said to his retreating form. Pulling down the rest of her zipper, she peeled back her dress jacket to reveal pastel pink silky undergarments. " **Oh I'll get you back for that Prince of Ass-hats!** " Picking up the armor she noticed that she would have to veto the underwear, otherwise it would chaff uncomfortably. Sighing as she rolled her eyes, Bulma shrugged and got to work on changing.

Vegeta's eye twitched in anger at the insolence of the woman. The audacity! For her to disrespect him, Prince of all Saiyans! ' _I should just kill her and rid myself of the trouble!_ ' His fury aside, he knew he would never carry out on his thought due to his word. Not to mention, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit impressed and intrigued with her spitfire spirit. Vegeta sifted through a pile of armored boots, matching up the bottoms with her boot to find the right size. After some time, he found a pair that fit and wondered, not for the first time, if this woman was more trouble than she was worth.

' _Damn Saiyan honor! Damn Saiyan pride as well!'_ Grumbling to himself, he grabbed a small pair of gloves and marched back. Halting in the archway, a brief glimpse of pale, unmarred skin of the woman's back and ribs before disappearing under the skin tight armor had the warrior gritting his teeth with dread. Holding his breath, he took in the woman's form. The armor, somehow, seemed painted on, showing off the swell of her generous hips and lush backside. Bulma turned to fully face the Saiyan as she finished her adjustments, oblivious to his roving gaze. Her tapered waist gave way to a toned flat stomach, as her more than ample, youthful breasts strained the material across her chest. Unable to stamp down his groan, Vegeta raised a hand to rub his throbbing temples. Shutting his eyes, he sighed loudly in defeat. ' _How the HELL is it worse then when she was walking around in nothing but that skimpy outfit?!'_ Hearing his groan, Bulma looked up to see Vegeta rubbing his head as if in pain holding a pair of white armor boots and gloves.

" **Everything alright?"** She said gently.

" **FINE!** " He responded gruffly as he finally released the breath he was holding in one long puff. Jutting her hip to one side, bracing a hand on it, she pointed to the gear in his hands.

" **Is that for me?** " Bulma said hopefully. Vegeta's hand lifted as he stared back in grim determination, his jaw ticking tensely.

" **Yes, put them on quickly. We have wasted enough time.** " Reaching her hand out to take them, she gave him a grateful smile.

" **Thank you, Vegeta.** " She said warmly. Blinking back at her, the prince could only manage a curt nod as he relinquished the gear he held.

' _Shit, I'm so..._ ' Shaking his head to correct himself. ' _We are SO fucked..._ ' 

Bending down, Bulma slipped on the boots as she inquired up at him. " **What about the scouter parts I wanted? Do I have time to get those?** " Sitting up after she finished she looked up to see the Saiyan staring down at her pensively, arms crossed as a frown graced his face.

" **I suppose, grab only what you need. I will not carry your shit.** " Perking up, she moved to place the gloves in the belt beside her and pulled out a small capsule.

" **No need to be rude! I was just going to capsule a few items and disassemble them later when we land on Namek.** " Nodding his approval, Vegeta gestured his head to the left toward a large closet near the back of the locker room.

" **Anything you need should be in there, but if you need more advanced devices we will have to hit up the armory.** "

A loud growl echoed around the room. As Bulma looked to Vegeta for the source, the warrior's face reddened in embarrassment. " **Looks like someone's HANGRY!** " She said giggling as she put her hand up to try and stifle her laughter. His real growl at her confirmed her earlier assumption, and Bulma reached for the food capsules in her utility belt. Finding one labeled ' _Saiyan light snack_ ', she hopped up and moved over to an empty table near the large cabinet in the back.

" **Here, snack on this while I pick out what I need. It won't fill you up but it should help fill the cracks 'till we arrive at Namek.** " Popping the top on the food capsule, Bulma tossed it on the table unloading a small feast fit to feed a family of eight. Four buckets of fried chicken, eight foot long meat subs, and a large tub of red skinned potato salad filled the table. Vegeta stood in awe at the food before him, as his mouth started to salivate at the smell that wafted from the table. Bulma clapped her hands in excitement as she bounced on her toes. " **Oh DAMN! Mom went all out on the food! I hope mine is just as good...** " Turning to Vegeta, she waved one hand over the spread in invitation. " **Welp, eat up!** " Bulma saw the wary look in the warriors eyes as his gaze moved over the table once again, his hand clenching to still any attempt to reach out to the food. " **What's wrong?** " She said questioningly. Vegeta's eyes met hers as he stood unmoving.

" **Oh...** " She said softly as it finally dawned on her that the Saiyan probably thought the food was dangerous or poisoned. That he had probably dealt with many enemies or 'allies' trying to kill or best him by poisoning his food, and the thought made her heart drop low in her stomach. Walking over to the table, she tried to ignore his unflinching gaze as she took a drumstick of fried chicken. Putting it to her lips, she turned to face him and started to eat the delicious morsel. " **Oh fuck! She used the good spices...** " She exclaimed happily as she hummed her approval while munching away. Moving cautiously and with one eye kept on her, Vegeta slid up to the table and grabbed one of the buckets. Pulling out a thigh and biting into the meat, he groaned as his eyes fluttered closed at the taste of the food.

" **Good?** " Bulma asked teasingly. Vegeta's eyes shot open, a deep immeasurable hunger echoed in their depths as if he never had been allowed to eat fully. His gaze dropped to the rest of the food on the table, and Bulma took the hint. Tearing off a bit of one meat sub and grabbing a spoon near the tub of potato salad, she dug in and ate a few bites. Turning to see half of the chicken in the Saiyan's bucket was gone, she looked up to see relief reflected in Vegeta's eyes.

' _Huh, actions speak louder than words to you._ ' She thought as she sucked at the bits of crumbs left over from the sandwich on her fingers. Dusting her hands off, she nodded toward the table addressing him. " **You good?** " Placing down the now empty bucket, Vegeta picked up another one with one hand and a meat sub in the other. Placing her hands on her hips, Bulma smiled as she took in the ravenous Saiyan chowing down between breaths. " **I'll take that as a yes. Okay. Well, I'm gonna go look at these scouters.** " Walking over to the cabinet, she quickly turned over her shoulder adding one last comment.

" **By the way, you should really try some of that potato salad. It's fucking bomb!** " Opening the doors to reveal all types of equipment, from scouters to spare armor pads, she couldn't help the small smile on her lips at his involuntary groan of delight behind her. Grinning from ear to ear, Bulma picked out a few choice items and piled them on the floor to capsulate. After about 10 minutes had passed and she had a decent pile, including some spare armor pieces, she heard the scraping of his spoon against the tub's plastic.

' _That's my cue, time to go._ ' Clicking the top of the empty capsule she tossed it at the pile. Securing her haul, she picked up the tiny capsule and turned in time to see Vegeta scraping the last remains of the potato salad. Spoon in his mouth and propped up on the table, the Saiyan turned to look for any scrap of food he missed. Giggling softly as she walked up to him, he turned to her with his brow quirked.

" **Better?** " she asked genuinely. Popping the spoon from his mouth, he tossed it on the table behind him and sighed contently.

" **For now. Tell me woman, are all your meals like that?** " Tilting her head to the side quizzically, Bulma furrowed her brows in thought.

" **Like what?** "

Vegeta hopped off the table and stretched lightly, as if trying to settle the copious amount of food he consumed. His brows furrowed as he tried to find the right words to describe what he was trying to say. " **Is all your food...flavorful? No, savory like that?** " Bulma shrugged her shoulders and went to clean up the mess left behind.

" **I dunno, I've had some pretty bland and terrible stuff, but I mean, mom's food is always pretty tasty.** " Grunting in agreement, Vegeta watched as she encapsulated the remains of the meal.

" **You have more of that in your belt, yes?** " Vegeta asked.

Turning to him she asked. " **What? Food capsules made by my mom?** " Seeing his curt nod, she moved over to the bench with her utility belt. " **Yeah I've got about a months worth, and that's not including what's stored in the camping unit.** " Picking up her belt, she moved to walk past him to collect her jacket.

" **Good!** " She heard his gruff voice say behind her.

As she bent down and picked up her jacket, Vegeta's sudden grip on her elbow made her jump in her skin. " **Hey!** " She stuttered out before he silenced her with a stern command.

" _ **Quiet!** "_ He hissed under his breath.

She felt the firm tug on her arm as Vegeta pulled her to his side. It wasn't till the low unfamiliar laughter hit her ears that her skin prickled with fear. They were no longer alone in the room, and whoever it was that entered even had Vegeta on edge. Bulma's gaze peeked over his shoulder to see an indigo-skinned, scaly, fish-faced alien standing in the doorway laughing at them.

" **So Vegeta! This is why you ran off to Earth all alone WITHOUT Frieza's permission? Just for some hot piece of ass? Getting Raditz and Nappa killed in the process as well I see. Now who could give you Saiyans such a 'hard time'? Aren't you monkeys suppose to be invincible or something?** " Bristling at his words, Vegeta snapped back interrupting the soldier, his voice laced with malice.

" **Back off Cui! If I intended to listen to such drivel I would have pummeled it out of your mangled corpse myself.** " Vegeta moved to step around him, but was cut off by the alien side-stepping to block his way.

" **Now hold on just a minute. Word is that Lord Frieza is NOT pleased with that little stunt you pulled."** Snarling as he turned his sinister gaze upon Cui, Vegeta hissed back.

" **Too bad he is not here to tell me that _personally_...**" The indigo alien flinched back in terror as merely the look on the Saiyan's face gave him pause. Seeing the stunningly beautiful female next to Vegeta, Cui smirked as he decided to change tactics.

" **Yes well, a generous 'gift' such as _that_...**" He nodded toward the woman behind the Saiyan, causing the warrior to narrow his eyes and bare his fangs. " **...would definitely put him in a generous mood. Hell, if you're lucky, he might even be feeling merciful and let bygones be bygones.** " Cui's eye's lit up with dubious delight as he leaned around the Saiyan to get a better look at the woman's shapely form. " **You know how much he _loves_ the taste of a beautiful young woman's flesh, especially as it bounces when torn into...**" Vegeta felt the blue haired female shudder behind him, her body pressed hard against his back as if he was shielding her from Cui's words. Gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached, Vegeta closed his eyes and tried to maintain his composure as his blood pounded in his ears.

' _I really do not want to raise an alarm and alert Frieza to our plans._ ' Cui's grin widened maniacally as he realized he hit a sweet spot for the Saiyan with the woman. Stepping further to the side, the purple alien set himself just inches away from Bulma. Leaning in closer, he took a deep breath of her scent and salivated.

" **Hmmm, in fact Vegeta. Why don't you just leave her here with me? I'll _personally_ make sure Frieza gets his 'gift'**" By now, Bulma's fingers held a death grip on the Saiyan's under armor on his bicep. She couldn't hide the tremors wracking her body anymore, as the fish-like alien in front of her stared with lecherous animosity. Vegeta's eyes flashed with barely concealed rage as he tried to remind himself one last time that he should _not_ care about what happens to the woman.

' _No alarms! Frieza **must** not know we are coming._' Looking at the desire on Cui's face, it suddenly dawned on Vegeta he needed the woman alive, and he was going to have to kill Cui to save her.

' _Ah, FUCK'_ Vegeta hopelessly thought to himself before Cui's next words robbed him of his sanity.

" **Who knows, perhaps by the time he's back I will already have her 'well trained' for his type of play.** " Cui's eyes darkened with lust as he reached his hand out to grab at her.

" ** _Vegeta_...**" Bulma hopelessly whispered as she closed her eyes, terrified of seeing her fate in the hands of this monster.

" **Hush now little one. This ape is too weak to contest against me! Ah, the beautiful holes I will make in your supple flesh! I'm sure to be entertained for hours!** " Cui said panting hard at the prospects his mind laid bare before him. The bulge in the purple alien's armor set off a powder keg of fury in Vegeta's body. Just as Cui's cold, clammy fingers grazed her skin his touch was ripped away. A strangled gurgling was the only sound in the room as Bulma slowly opened her eyes to the sight before her. Cui was slammed up against the wall, his eyes bugged out as Vegeta strangled him with one hand. Vegeta's other hand had his glowing blue Ki aimed at the struggling alien's right temple, cocked like a gun ready to pull the trigger. Vegeta's face was twisted with rage, as he snarled in his most animalistic and intimidating way.

" **Don't you _FUCKING_ touch her!**" He barked out, spittle flying from his snarl landing on the now deep purple alien's face. Gasping as he tried to get air into his lungs, Cui's fingers tore at Vegeta's gloved hand in an attempt to loosen the Saiyan's grip. Growling at Cui's attempts, Vegeta took his free hand and bent back the alien's right arm. A loud and vicious snap could be heard just before the breathless screech from the alien in his grasp. Vegeta's blood chilling grin reached from ear to ear as he took in the smell of pure fear emanating from the soldier in his grasp. " **I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that Cui. What did you say?** " Vegeta lessened his grip around the purple alien just enough for Cui to breathlessly stutter out his response.

" **You stupid...fucking...monkey!** " Before Vegeta could tear into him, he heard the woman's exasperated sigh behind him.

" **You aren't so fucking smart yourself. Are you?** " Vegeta's brow quirked curiously as he turned his head to the side to catch a glance at Bulma. Seeing as she slid the jacket on over her armor, he watched as she zipped it up quickly and snapped her utility belt back around her waist. Leveling her gaze back at the choking alien in his grasp, she placed her left hand on Vegeta's shoulder as she leaned on the arm holding the alien pinned to the wall.

" **I...wha...you..** " was all Cui was able to manage to get out before Vegeta squeezed his hand tighter, efficiently shutting him up.

" **Look, I've spent less than 8 conscious hours with Vegeta here and I already know 3 rules you NEVER break with him.** " Vegeta was thoroughly curious now, he turned his head to face her fully. Pushing her right hand to stop inches from the ugly mottled face of Cui, she counted with her fingers. " **ONE! Never insult Vegeta's intelligence, not unless you want a broken limb.** " Pointing to his broken arm she said, " **Which I guess you did.** " Vegeta turned his face back to the struggling alien as it lit up with diabolical glee, he liked where the woman was taking this. " **TWO!** " Bulma pushed up her second finger in Cui's face, as a smug smile tugged at her lips. " **Never mention Frieza as anything but the tyrannical piece of shit he is.** "

Vegeta let out a chortle before saying, " **Well said woman.** "

" **Thank you.** " Bulma said back, her grin now tugging fully on one side of her mouth. " **And I believe you fucked up twice there by calling him 'generous' and 'merciful'! Tsk, tsk!** " At her tutting she shook her extended right hand in the alien's face as if scolding a naughty child. Turning her head to look at Vegeta's profile she tapped his shoulder with her left hand. " **That's two strikes for rule number two...legs?** " Cui's eyes bugged out even more, as the Saiyan grinned back with deranged joy in repeating her words.

" **Legs!** " Quicker than Bulma's eye could see, Vegeta snapped one of Cui's legs, then the other as the alien's eyes rolled back in his head.

" **Oh shit! Vegeta he's passing out. Let him have some air, we need information from him first.** " Rolling his eyes at her order but agreeing that they did indeed need information, Vegeta substantially loosened his grip around the alien's throat. As Cui took big lung filled gasps of air through his shaky lips, Bulma snapped her finger in front of his face drawing his attention back to the pair.

" **Focus here eggplant head, there we go. Welcome back!** " She grinned mischievously as she shoved her third and final finger count in front of Cui's face.

" **Rule number three, and probably the most commonly broken rule. NEVER mention or refer to him as Monkey, Ape, or any type of primate, not unless you want more broken limbs.** " Grunting in agreement Vegeta switched hands around Cui's throat as he moved to the soldier's last remaining intact limb. Removing her right hand out of Cui's face, Bulma took her left hand and tapped thoughtfully on her chin as she tilted her head toward the Saiyan. " **That was two strikes for that rule as well as I recall, but OH! Only one limb left...** " Vegeta snapped the arm quickly as Cui's pain-filled scream rebounded in the room.

" **Not quite...** " Vegeta said as he placed both hands around Cui's neck, getting across his meaning to the alien that he could still snap his neck and end Cui's life with this game. Bulma waited with baited breath. To break the monster's arms and legs after what he suggested he would do to her was one thing, however, to stand there and watch as Vegeta took his life, she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Cui's hoarse, rasping voice floated to them as he stuttered out desperately.

" **O-ok! ok! I get your point! W-what do you want to k-know.** " Bulma patted Vegeta's shoulder with her left hand to signal to let her talk to him. Vegeta reluctantly held his grip firm and moved a step forward toward the alien with the woman still latched onto his back.

" **Smart move Eggplant. First off, I want to know everything Frieza knows about the Dragon Balls.** " Gulping loudly, Cui's eyes shifted back between the Saiyan and the woman.

" **He knows that they can grant Immortality, and that they can be found on Namek through the Dragon clan.** " Bulma nodded as she listened, forcing her face to remain emotionless.

" **Is that all?** " She asked.

" **He also knows Vegeta failed to get the Dragon Balls off of Earth, something about them being destroyed or useless.** " Cui rattled off quickly. Bulma smirked at this, as it confirmed her suspicion that the scouters relayed information back to Frieza's outposts.

" **I see, so Frieza has been listening in on the scouters. That sneaky little shit...** " Reaching out her right hand she snatched the scouter off Cui's face and threw it on the ground and stomped down hard to shatter the ear piece. Turning back to the stunned looks on both their faces, she addressed Vegeta quietly. " **Remind me later to remove all the signal chips on the scouters I picked up earlier. They should be fine in the capsule for now...** " Locking eyes with her, he grunted and nodded swiftly. Turning both their focus back to the broken soldier in Vegeta's hands, Bulma spoke clearly.

" **Last question and then he's all yours, Vegeta."** Smirking at her words, the Saiyan's grip tightened ever so slightly around the purple alien's neck. " **Who does Freiza have with him on his mission to Namek and does he know we're coming.** " Vegeta grinned at the insightfulness of the female. She ensured that any scouter that could broadcast their conversation to Frieza was broken before revealing their objective.

' _Goddamned clever woman..._ ' Vegeta thought smugly to himself. Cui's raspy laughter brought his focus back to the alien's grotesquely blotched face.

" **You are going after Frieza? A puny woman and the weak Saiyan prince? Don't make me laugh!** " His laugh turned to coughs as his damaged throat struggled to work properly. " **Even if you could beat his army of fifty soldiers, you'd still have to deal with Dodoria and Zarbon.** " Cui looked at Vegeta with a knowing grin, taunting the Saiyan with a secret only they knew. " **And we both know how you would fair in a fight with them little prince.** " The hair on the back of Vegeta's neck rose up as he snarled back, his grip threatening to snap the man's neck.

Snapping her fingers back in Cui's line of vision she forced him to focus back on her. " **Hey Fuck-face, I wasn't done here. Quit trying to get Vegeta to kill you off faster and answer my damn questions.** "

" **BITCH! Screw you whore!** " Cui spat out viciously and turned his face to look at the Saiyan. Bulma grabbed the chin of the purple alien harshly and forced him to look at her in the face.

" **Ah AH! Temper, temper! That's no way to speak to a lady!** " She kicked lightly with her foot on one of his broken legs as she moved closer to him. Bulma tutted as he hissed out in pain. " **Oops, sorry. Clumsy me! Now, Let's try this again shall we?** " Oh Vegeta was really starting to like this fiery woman. She had balls when it counted, even if she didn't have the strength to back it up. Bulma stared back at the alien only speaking when she was sure she had his full undivided attention. " **Does. Frieza. Know. We. Are. Coming?** " She said enunciating each word slowly.

Gritting his teeth Cui snarled back at her. " **No!** "

Pulling back with a smug grin she clapped her hands at the soldier mockingly. " **See! That wasn't so hard now was it? Thank you!** " Ignoring the muttered cusses aimed at her she turned to look at Vegeta. " **We should probably wrap this up, with his scouter broken, someone is bound to check up on him soon.** "

" **Hn** " The Saiyan said. As he turned back to the wide-eyed fearful look on Cui's face, he almost enjoyed the thought about killing the worthless scum. Just as he was about to snap the man's neck, the woman's gentle touch rested on his forearm. Looking up at her solemn features, Vegeta cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

" **Is that such a good idea? Killing him?** " Vegeta cocked his head in reply as he answered stoically.

" **Do you remember what this piece of filth said he was going to do to you?** "

Nodding her head as her eyes fell to the floor, Bulma whispered out " **Yes.** " Staring at her a moment longer he rephrased his reason.

" **If left alive, he'll warn Frieza of our arrival, and after your attempts to keep it secret do you really want to risk that?** " Sighing Bulma shook her head softly.

" **No, but if you kill him now and someone comes across him, the whole station will be put on alert.** " Looking up to met his eyes, her shoulders straighten in determination. " **It will be harder to leave, and in the end Frieza will still find out we are coming.** " Grunting reluctantly, Vegeta saw the truth in her words as he thought out the best course of action.

" **Hn, I could always beat him senseless, then they will have to put him in the regeneration tanks for hours to recover.** " Nodding her head she looked around their surroundings, her eyes settled on one of the closets holding armor.

" **Hmm, maybe stuff his unconscious body in one of the lockers to buy us more time?** " Smiling deviously at her ingenuity, Vegeta turned to face the stuttering broken Cui.

" **Sounds good to me.** " Pulling his right hand back into a fist, Vegeta hesitated for a second as he gave a warning glance toward the woman. Taking the hint, Bulma turned around and tried to block out the sound of Vegeta's fists meeting flesh and bone. After a few seconds, Bulma turned around to see Vegeta hoisting the broken, bloodied body over one shoulder. Hurrying to the furthest locker, Bulma pulled it open for Vegeta as he stuffed the mangled, but still alive body of Cui into it. Shutting it closed firmly, she pointed to the handle and turned to Vegeta.

" **Punch here, hard.** " Giving her a disgruntled look as he crossed his arms, Bulma placed her hand on his shoulder and asked again politely. " **Please? It will mangle the mechanism making it impossible to open without a cutter.** " Grunting, Vegeta uncrossed his arms and punched at the spot she pointed. Denting the locker's handle rendering it useless. " **Perfect! Shall we go?** " She cheerily replied.

" **Hn** " Vegeta muttered as he quickly made his way back to their pod with Bulma hot on his heels. As they traversed back through the halls, Bulma noticed most of the soldiers kept their gaze and comments to themselves this time around.

" **I guess word travels fast...** " She muttered to the Saiyan.

He bitterly replied. " **A blessing and a curse. Believe me.** " Bulma didn't doubt it, as she saw both fear and hate echoed in the soldiers eyes as they whisked by them. Unable to keep from voicing the nagging thought at the back of her mind, Bulma subtly grabbed Vegeta's arm to get his attention.

" **Hey Vegeta?** "

" **Hn** " He said non-committally. Licking her lips as she closed the distance to whisper to the warrior.

" **Why didn't you take Cui up on his offer?** " Bulma asked quietly.

Reaching the doors to the outside hangar, Vegeta halted in his tracks baffled by the woman's words. He turned to look at her and muttered out a " **what?** " Shuffling her feet nervously, she hastened to make her point.

" **You had said before that you may not be able to kill me due to our deal but you'd be willing to turn a blind eye to someone that would. Cui was definitely willing...** " She trailed off with a shiver, as she moved to rub her arms in comfort to stave off the terrifying thoughts at what would have been her existence if he had agreed. His emotionless stare had her already frayed nerves desperate to finish this conversation. " **I guess I just wanted to know what changed your mind.** " The Saiyan was deep in thought from her words as she looked around their surroundings anxiously.

' _Why did I? It wasn't just because I made a promise..._ ' Vegeta thought gravely, and to be perfectly honest, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. Snapping his focus back to the blue haired beauty in front of him. Vegeta had the sinking feeling it was more to do with her ingenious and feisty character, and less to do with his oath. ' _I was even ready to kill Cui just for wanting her._ ' Balling his fist and grinding his teeth, he shoved those feelings deep down into his Pandora's box, never to be opened. Just as he was about to curse her for making him feel these weak emotions, she turned to face him.

" ** _Vegeta?_** " Tucking her hair back behind one ear, she whispered his name with an emotion he had never heard it said with before. Hope.

' _Fucking hell..._ ' He lamented internally, as he decided to risk being honest with her.

" **It's true I could have taken Cui up on his offer, but I just...I did not want to.** " He paused for a heartbeat before continuing. " **I do not know why...** " Huffing out in agitation at her for forcing him to say such things, he growled out. " **I will only say this once woman, I am a Saiyan warrior prince. A Saiyan ALWAYS keeps his word! His word is his pride, his honor. Without it, he is nothing!** " Shifting his weight he slammed the button to open the doors, ending the conversation as the guards outside took notice of them.

" **P-Prince Ve-Vegeta...** " They stammered again, making the Saiyan roll his eyes at their ineptitude. Watching as the Saiyan prince strutted out ahead of her, Bulma felt a strange jolt in her chest. Like she had just dropped 30 meters in the air. The odd sensation of weightlessness and feeling like her heart was in her throat made her steps falter.

Before she could look into the feeling too deeply, Vegeta's callous voice raked over her. " **Woman, hurry up!** "

Shaking lightly to clear her head, she rushed over to his side as the lid of their pod opened. Waiting for him to enter first, she smiled gently as he held out his arm to steady her as she stepped in to the lip of the pod. Settling herself in his lap, she leaned in and pulled her arms to her chest as he wrapped an arm around her protectively. Kicking the button to close the lid with his foot, his other hand gripped the worn and cracked armrest. As the pod launched into the air, Bulma had a much smoother experience this time as Vegeta's arm kept her in place. Reaching the atmosphere of Planet Frieza No. 79, she turned to the Saiyan next to her.

" **Vegeta** " she asked softly. He grunted as his foot tapped the stasis mode button again. The computer started it's countdown again as Bulma placed one hand on the breastplate of his armor.

" _ **Stasis mode engaged in...5...4...3...**_ "

Startled by her gesture, Vegeta glanced down at the female. Locking her blue eyes with his dark ones, Bulma gave him a genuine heartfelt smile.

" **Thank you...** " Her tone of those words had so much more than just gratitude behind them. The prince's bewildered stare was his only response. As the last moments of the countdown floated around them, Bulma closed her eyes and leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

" _ **...2...1...Stasis complete.**_ "

Vegeta laid his head back against the chair, allowing his jaw to rest again against her temple. As sleep slowly claimed him, his last thoughts were of the woman in his lap, who for some mysterious reason trusted him. ' _Maybe she's worth all the trouble after all..._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh if you only knew sweet prince! >:D
> 
> So I FINALLY got this Chapter out and man! I am so sorry it took me so long everyone! What with Christmas and New Years, everyone in my family was demanding my time and attention. I finally picked like 2 to 3 days straight of locking myself away to write this. Much to my husband's ire, but here we are! I wrote a bit more than intended to make up for the lack of something for ya all. Hopefully it won't take me nearly as long to knock out the next chapter but then again...haven't really fleshed that one out fully yet.
> 
> Well anyways! I hope all of you guys had a wonderful New Years and are just as hopeful and happy to see the New Year and what it could bring. Much love to everyone, and remember... I LOVE comments!


	4. You Catch More Flies With Honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma and Vegeta come out of stasis and strategize before landing on Namek. Using the scouter and the Dragon radar, they identify Frieza's base and that he only has one Dragon Ball after being on Namek for 5 days. Bulma convinces Vegeta afterward they should look for Guru to find out what has been happening. Using the scouter, they track down a few Namekian warriors and make their way to Guru. He thanks them for giving his people fair warning and was able to save many of his people before Frieza's invasion. Elder Guru reveals more info on the Dragon Balls, and tells them his elders hid the Dragon Balls through out Namek. They look for a place to set up a temporary base, in which they eat and she finishes her EMP. Through the scouter, they find that cui has landed on Namek, following them. They track him down as he terrorizes a village close by. Vegeta flies off to deal with Cui and Bulma makes an effort to help some of the villagers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> Wow! Here we are at Chapter 4 and so many hits, kudos, and comments. I'm really flattered by all the positivity from everyone! So just a few things to mention. I tried to space out the text better and make it more 'reader friendly' for you all since some where having a hard time with the dialog not being spaced out. I also decided that because these two are prideful and stubborn as hell that there would be a lot of "two steps forward one step back" going on from now on. I do have some things in my life that are going to take priority in the next few months but I will try and keep everyone posted on updates and work on my chapter diligently. Just in case though, this is a heads up to ya'll to bookmark, create a tab, or whatever for this story and to check regularly.
> 
> If anyone is curious I've created a playlist to listen to on Soundcloud and been listening to these song while I write. https://soundcloud.com/alfawolf06/sets/creative-writing-songs to anyone that wants to know. I hope to create another list with a much further Chapter I plan to have match up with the story and the characters will be listening to.

** Previously: **

Reaching the atmosphere of Planet Frieza No. 79, she turned to the Saiyan next to her.

" **Vegeta** " she asked softly.

He grunted as his foot tapped the stasis mode button again. The computer started it's countdown again as Bulma placed one hand on the breastplate of his armor.

" _ **Stasis mode engaged in...5...4...3...**_ "

Startled by her gesture, Vegeta glanced down at the female. Locking her blue eyes with his dark ones, Bulma gave him a genuine heartfelt smile.

" **Thank you...** "

Her tone of those words had so much more than just gratitude behind them. The prince's bewildered stare was his only response. As the last moments of the countdown floated around them, Bulma closed her eyes and leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

" _ **...2...1...Stasis complete.**_ "

Vegeta laid his head back against the chair, allowing his jaw to rest again against her temple. As sleep slowly claimed him, his last thoughts were of the woman in his lap, who for some mysterious reason trusted him. ' _Maybe she's worth all the trouble after all..._ '

**You Catch More Flies With Honey**

Vegeta was running his hand through the woman's hair at the back of her head as her eyes flashed seductively. A coy giggle escaped her plump lips, pink and tempting, as she bit down lightly on her bottom lip and worried it with her teeth. Her hot breath whispered across his lips and hinted at her mouth's sweetness. Blue warm pools of lust reflected in her eyes as they flicked up to his gaze. Vegeta's breath caught in his throat as her smooth as silk voice washed over him.

 **"Vegeta, thank you. How can I repay you, my prince?** "

His other arm wrapped around her back and pulled her closer onto his lap. His heart thundered as he felt her thighs slide over his hips and her chest press into his breastplate. Her under armor faded away as her milky, soft skin was revealed to his shaky touch. Vegeta's breath came in sharp and filled his nose with her scent, drugging his mind with a flood of hormones. Her body tensed and flushed against him as a growl rumbled in his chest.

" **Oh, I have a few ideas Earth woman...** " He said in his low, gruff voice making her shiver in his arms.

The hand that Vegeta had snaked into her hair shifted across her throat and over her hammering pulse. As he tilted her chin to the side an airy moan, barely a whisper, ghosted over his lips from the woman.

" **Oh? And what would that b-** " the woman barely got out before his growl of a reply interrupted her.

" **Shut up...** " Vegeta quickly grunted out before he took her mouth with his in hunger. His short-circuiting mind was barely able to register the soft, sultry, and tantalizing taste of her lips before a jarring sound blared.

" _ **Stasis** **disengaged...**_ "

Jolted awake by the computer, Vegeta blinks back the last remnants of his dream and takes in the dark of his surroundings with sleep-addled eyes. It takes him a few seconds to realize that he is in his pod, and that something warm and soft is in his arms. Looking down he sees the face of the blue-haired female, her face relaxed and content in her sleep. Vegeta's eyes shoot open wide as his mind slams into a brick wall. Frantic and jumping around in his head, his thoughts materialize on one single, coherent sentence.

' _What THE **FUCK**! _'

He had dreamt of the Earth woman in stasis, and to say the Saiyan was _unsettled_ by the idea would have been an understatement. His fingers itched to clench in retaliation as he forced himself to keep them still around her frame. Vegeta was thoroughly disgusted with himself. The way he held the beauty close to his body, his hands cupping her hip and legs protectively again, made him want to gnash his teeth and rip his hair out.

' _I am a Saiyan elite! **A PRINCE!** I should be above such fucking useless desires and distractions! _' As Vegeta internally berated himself, the woman in his arms shifted slightly.

Her face nuzzled into the prince's neck as she breathed in his scent and sighed serenely. At her movement, Vegeta's somber, churlish mind betrayed him as it stuttered along with the erratic beating of his heart. His cheeks flushed pink as he briefly looked down to the woman and ensured she was still asleep. Her hand curled into the collar of his armor as her soft, cool fingers left his heat-flushed skin with goosebumps. Her touch near his collar bone, along with her lips and nose at the nape of his neck was flooding his brain with endorphins.

' _ **FUCK!** I need to keep my distance from her, even her touch is dangerous._' With his resolve to do everything to push the small woman away fortified, Vegeta slowly pulled himself from her grasp.

" _ **5 minutes out from destination. **Coordinates 9045XY:** Planet Namek.**_" 

Startled awake by his movements and the sound of the computerized voice, Bulma blinked bleary-eyed at the Saiyan frowning down at her. His hand gently peeling hers from his armor as he shifted her away from her cocoon of warmth and safety. ' _Wait?! I feel SAFE with him?!_ ' Her thoughts tripped over themselves as his gruff and surly voice reached her ears.

" **Woman, do not think you can touch me so _casually_.**"

" **Uh, right. Sorry about that. Not much room here...** " Bulma mumbled out, letting her voice fall silent so she wouldn't let slip, to her embarrassment, why she latched onto Vegeta.

The silence grew painfully awkward as she sat up and leaned her body away from him as much as possible. Taking her hands to rub her face, Bulma internally scolded herself for letting the Saiyan get so under her skin.

' _C'mon girl! Focus on the big picture here! Getting the Dragon Balls and stopping Frieza. Remember? No time for over-romanticizing shit!'_

Shaking her head in an effort to get her head on straight, Bulma let out a puff of air as she ran her fingers through her hair. Straightening her back and shoulders, she turned her gaze to the man next to her. Steeling herself to meet his stony, guarded eyes, Bulma smiled grimly.

" **OK, so brainstorming time.** " She said and Vegeta lifted one eyebrow in reply. " **Thoughts on what we should do first when we land? I was thinking we look for this Guru guy Goku mentioned.** " At the mention of her friend's name, Vegeta grunted and crossed his arms with a sour look.

" **Why should I waste time with such nonsense? We track down the Dragon Balls before Frieza's men gather them.** "

Blinking in response, Bulma nodded her head softly. " **OK, yeah we COULD do that, but if this Guru guy is in charge he might know where the balls are or just straight up have them.** " Bending down to get her scouter from her backpack, Bulma continued to voice her plan." **Hear me out...** " Pulling out the scouter from the bag she turned it on and checked to see if it was functioning. " **This scouter can probably pick up any transmission that Frieza and his men are making. We can keep tabs on their movements with it and out plan them and grab the Dragon Balls they go after right from under their noses.** " Placing the scouter on her ear, Bulma pressed through buttons on the side and looked at the Saiyan through the lens. " **If not, we can talk to Guru and see if the Namekians will help us track the Dragon Balls down or maybe even help with the summoning."**

At her last words, Vegeta's head tilted to the side slightly. **"Summoning?** " He said quizzically.

Nodding her head, Bulma gave up fiddling with the scouter's settings and let her hand drop to her lap. " **Yeah, on Earth the balls actually summon a giant dragon that grants wishes. However, you have to know the words to summon him, and I have know idea if it will be in English, another language, or a different way entirely.** " Vegeta tightened his arms at the words and grimaced at the implication.

" **I thought you said you know how to use them woman!"** Snarling at her menacingly, Bulma raised her hand up defensively.

 **"Hey! I know how the Earth ones work and Kami was from Namek. So this shouldn't be too different, but just in case...** " She paused until his growl ceased and he huffed. " **It might be a good idea to get info from the locals. I'm sure if we asked _nicely_ they will be happy to help.**" Bulma gave the Saiyan a stern look as she insinuated with the word 'nicely' that he would have to put in the effort. Tilting his head back, Vegeta barked out a humorless laugh and glared at Bulma darkly.

" ** _Nicely?!_ You DO know who you are talking to woman.**" His eyes glinted in the faint of the light as he grinned evilly. " **I don't DO _nice_...**"

Bulma huffed out as she crossed her arms. " **Well first time for everything. Listen, we have a saying on Earth. ' _You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.'_** " Vegeta's grin turned to a small scowl as he looked pointedly at the woman in front of him. " **It means that if you ask for something graciously instead of demanding or threatening you're more likely to get what you want from people.** "

Vegeta scoffed. " **W** **hat and absurd notion.** "

Raising her eyebrow at his outburst, Bulma thought quietly to herself for a moment before replying. " **Alright, let me prove it then...** " Removing a hand from her crossed arms, she latched on to the Saiyan's arm. Bulma dug her fingers in and tugged at it harshly. " **Give me your hand, now!** " Vegeta was stunned for a moment before he snarled back and swatted it away, careful to not hurt her delicate hand.

" **Like hell! You can't tell me what to do woman.** "

Bulma removed her other hand from across her chest and placed both of them tightly on his arm tugging harder to try and get at his hands. Her face took on a frustrated and angry countenance as she fought to get his hand. " **Give it to me or else I'll rip it from you...** " Vegeta was losing his patience and grabbed the woman's wrists tightly, enough to cause her to wince slightly. Pulling himself close to her face, he snarled baring his canines and growled out.

" **I'd like to see you try puny Earth woman.** "

In a flash the woman's face changed to smugness as she stilled her attempts. " **See? Didn't work and now we are wasting time fighting.** " Vegeta blinked back puzzling at her sudden change, as Bulma let go of his arm and pulled her hands back. Vegeta released his grip and sat back pondering at the woman's words. " **Now, can you honestly sit there and say that if I had said, 'Can I have your hand please? I have a Dragon Ball to give you.' That you would have fought me?** " Bulma said genuinely. Vegeta's placid face turned to a scowl as he realized the truth of her words.

" **Tsk!** " Vegeta crossed his arms again as he clicked his tongue and averted his eyes.

Bulma placed a gentle touch to his arm to grab his attention. His muscles under her fingers tensed as Vegeta eyed her from his peripheral. " **If we tell Guru that we will use the Dragon Balls to help you defeat Frieza as well as save his people, he will help us. I'm sure of it. We will spend less time fighting and more time retrieving the Dragon Balls before Frieza does.** "

" _ **Thirty seconds until landing. Brace for**_ ** _impact._** "

At the robotic sound of the voice, both looked toward the pod lid to see a humongous lush green planet as they breached the atmosphere. Half expecting Vegeta to grab her and situate her for impact, Bulma was surprised when he uncrossed his arms and gripped the armrests. Vegeta grit his jaw and stared straightforward, refusing to look at her. Confused at what had happened to cause a change in him, Bulma quirked one delicate blue eyebrow at him.

" **Um, ok...** " Bulma muttered as she pushed her arms and legs out against the sides of the small pod to brace herself. The pod was already shaking considerably, and Bulma prayed she wouldn't end up a smear on the lid of the pod by the end of this as she gave the stubborn Saiyan one last look. Vegeta unconsciously gripped the armrests harder in response and winced subtly as the sound of cracking plastic and metal permeated the silence between them.

" _ **Impact in 10..9...8...**_ _"_

Bulma's hands were sweating and slipping, and her feet were shuffling to try and get a better grip. ' _Kami... If I make it without my brains bashed all over the inside of this ship I swear I'll never ignore using seatbelts ever again._ ' Tilting her head down, she shut her eyes and grit her teeth together hard.

" _ **..3...2...1...Impact!**_ "

Bulma's eyes shot open as she felt a warm steel band around her waist the moment the pod landed harshly. Her hands and feet had slipped as they flung forward in front of her, yet the arm around her waist held her in place preventing her from slamming into the lid. " **Oof!** " Bulma ground out as the air was knocked out of her body from the jarring movement.

 _" **Landing successful.**_ "

As the pod stilled, Vegeta quickly removed his arm and kicked the button to open the pod. Shifting his weight, he tried to slink by the woman with as little contact as possible. Vegeta floated up out of the pod and landed on top to get a look at their surroundings. Regaining her breath and footing, Bulma clambered out of the pod with her backpack in tow and scouter still on her face.

" **No, no. Don't worry about me. I'm good!** " She mumbled under her breath sarcastically as she straightened out her clothes and got her balance back. Ignoring her mutterings, Vegeta closed his eyes and tried to sense if there was any strong Ki nearby. Picking up a faint group of unfamiliar, average level Ki, Vegeta opened his eyes to see the woman fiddling with the scouter on the side of her face. " **Looks like there's a few Namekians close by. We should try to see if we can ask for directions.** " Landing beside her, Vegeta scoffed as he marched up to her side.

" **We don't need directions woman. Show me where the Dragon Balls are now!** " Vegeta said flexing his fingers. His intimidating stare bore into Bulma's face. Cocking her hip out to one side and placing her hand on it, she gave the Saiyan an incredulous look.

" **How about you say please with that demand.** "

He snarled back and closed the distance to within five inches, blue Ki glowing faintly in his hand. " **Watch yourself woman! Do you forget who you're dealing with?** " Straightening her posture, Bulma lifted her head and narrowed her eyes back, unmoved by his show of intimidation.

" **Do _you?_** " She breathed out calmly. Vegeta stared her down for a few heartbeats before he clicked his tongue, extinguishing his Ki and backing off. Bulma took that as a small victory and dove her hand inside her backpack to dig out the Dragon Radar. " **I don't know what's gotten into you, but all you really need to do is ask nicely Vegeta...** " Bulma said as her voice drifted off at the end. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him bristle and turn back toward her. " **I'm here to help you remember? No need to be so aggressive.** " Vegeta clenched his fist and switched his gaze to her hands as Bulma turned on the radar, switching the knobs to pin down the Dragon Ball's location.

" **Woman, what is that?** " Vegeta gruffed out.

Bulma looked up to see him staring at the radar in her hands. " **It's a Dragon Ball locator. It's how I can tell where the Dragon Balls are.** "

" **What?** " Vegeta said disbelievingly. " **Woman, You lied to me...** "

She watched as anger flickered over his face with his words. Feeling her heart rate accelerate reflexively, Bulma tampered down on her emotions so as not to show them on her face. " **N-no I didn't!** " Ki flared in his fists as Vegeta's feature took on a sinister look.

" **You said you could track the Dragon Balls...** " Vegeta growled out venomously

" **I didn't say I _personally_ could find them, you just assumed...**" She quickly said as she raised her hand to placate him in her defense.

" **YOU mean to tell me I could have just taken _that_ to find the Dragon Balls!?**" Vegeta spat out, his lips snarled in outrage as he pointed to the radar in her hands.

Bulma shrugged nonchalantly and looked back at the device in her hands. " **I suppose...** " Not wanting to look up to see the rage in his features, she paused for a second before continuing. " **But then what would you do if it broke or wasn't working properly? I made this and only I really know how it works or how to fix it.** " Bulma looked back up at Vegeta, he was simmering underneath with barely restrained anger as his fists slightly shook. Taking the few steps to walk over to his side, Bulma turned the radar to show him the screen. " **Look, there are two Dragon Balls within eighty kilometers of us, but the rest are much farther, close to two hundred kilometers at least.** " As Bulma showed him the radar, Vegeta took in a deep breath and closed his eyes to force down his anger. Letting the air out through his teeth, Vegeta opened his eyes to glare at the woman next to him. Her eyes locked with his. Her calm blue attempted to soothe his dark fire. " **I'm not your enemy Vegeta.** " She said with quiet conviction. Vegeta's fists went lax as he took in the honesty emanating from her features.

" **Hn, maybe. We shall see.** " He whispered. They were suddenly interrupted by a voice in the scouter blaring in her ear. The voice oozed fake charm and flamboyance.

" **Dodoria! We just received word that Vegeta's pod is on Namek!** " Bulma's eyes widened as she saw Vegeta's face freeze and turn guarded at the man's voice. Another voice crackled back, low and raspy.

" **Ha! That's the best news I've heard since we landed on this bog of a planet Zarbon! What are Lord Frieza's orders on how to deal with the filthy monkey prince?** " A low guttural growl ripped through Vegeta, his face morphed into a vicious snarl at Dodoria's question.

" **Lord Frieza says to keep your eyes open, but the top priority is finding the Dragon Balls. He's not pleased with only having one and we've been here for over one hundred and twenty hours.** " Bulma released a sigh of relief at Zarbon's words.

Dodoria's panicked voice rushed over the scouter. " **It's not my fault the Namekians are hiding! I've checked all the villages within 100 kilometers and the scouters aren't picking up any power levels except the few warriors we ran into in that ambush!** "

The corners of Bulma's mouth turned up slightly at Dodoria's claim as she tried to catch Vegeta's gaze. Zarbon's exasperated voice cut in. " **That doesn't matter Dodoria! You know Lord Frieza wants results! You know what will happen to us if we don't give them to him.** " Dodoria's gulp could be heard over the scouter's transmission. " **Just grab the next Namekian you run into and bring them back alive. Lord Frieza says he will force the info from them if they want to play this game of hide and seek.** " Zarbon said.

" **Roger that, on my way to a group right now.** " Dodoria replied before there was silence. Bulma checked the scouter for any nearby high power levels, faintly picking up one almost halfway across the planet.

" **That Dodoria guy is near the other side of the planet, I'm just barely able to pick up his power level. Looks like our warning to Guru worked to our advantage though. Still, we should be careful to not draw attention.** " Bulma said as she rotated her head to check their surroundings.

" **Hn** " Vegeta grunted in reply.

She shifted her focus on her utility belt and rifled through some capsules till she came to the one labeled " _Baby 2.0._" Looking up at Vegeta with his arms crossed in thought, Bulma tilted her head questioningly as the scouter registered his lowered power on the screen. " **Hey you think you can hide your power level while you fly? I'd rather not give away where we are just yet.** "

Vegeta averted his eyes as he turned his head to the side and clicked his tongue. " **Not entirely, no.** "

Bulma hummed in response and unclicked the capsule and tossed it out in front of them. " **Hm, well I guess we better take my way until I can knock out their scouters.** " Vegeta kept silent as the smoke cleared and a pink motorcycle, sleek and new, stood where the capsule landed. Bulma walked over to the bike stuffing her backpack in its storage compartment and swung one leg over it. Looking up to see that Vegeta hadn't moved an inch, she raised an eyebrow at him.

" **No.** " He stoically replied at her silent question.

Bulma rolled her eyes at him and held out her hand with the radar to him. " **Oh come on! Don't be such a stick in the mud! It's better to keep the element of surprise right now, right?** " Seeing his lips curl in a disgruntled snarl, Bulma beckoned him with a slight wave with the radar in her hand. " **I'll even let you hold the Dragon radar if you promise not to break it. Please, Vegeta?** " After a moment of pause, Vegeta uncrossed his arms in a huff and walked over to her side. Grabbing the radar out of her hands, Vegeta glanced at it briefly before looking to catch her smiling at him softly. " **Thanks, I'll need both hands to steer this bad boy!** " Vegeta eyed the bike dubiously as she patted on the seat behind her.

" **Tsk, it doesn't even look like this thing can move at any speed but a slug's pace.** " He said doubtfully.

Bulma's eyes flashed with fury as she shoved a pointed finger at his face. " **Hey! Don't you dare diss my Baby! He's been souped-up so hard that even the Z fighters have trouble keeping up with me. Now quit stalling and sit your ass down!** " Growling at her finger, Vegeta relented and situated himself on the bike behind her. Bulma turned her head back to the front, sat herself down, and switched on the bike's power. With a low hum of power, the bike purred softly to life. Vegeta was taken aback by the sheer power coursing through the machine as it hovered off the ground slightly. Setting her feet on the foot rests, Bulma turned her head to smirk over her shoulder and comment. " **I'd hold on if I were you.** " He was about to bark back a snarky reply when she revved the motor and gunned it. Eyes going wide in shock, Vegeta was barely able to latch on to the seat with his free hand in time before he fell backwards off the machine.

Bulma leaned forward and hunkered down as Vegeta's voice shouted over the biting wind. " **The HELL woman!** "

Laughing gleefully as they sped over the ground like a rocket, Bulma turned her head slightly and shouted back. " **I told you to hang on! Is this fast enough for you?** "

Vegeta grit his teeth at her sass and barked out tersely. " **Just try and not get yourself killed! I need you alive, for now.** "

Bulma shifted her head back forward and rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time today. " **Yeah, yeah. As you wish your royal grump'ness.** " It wasn't until they were twenty kilometers from the group the scouter was tracking when their power levels vanished. " **They must have sensed us coming and thought we were Frieza's men.** " Bulma said absentmindedly. Vegeta looked at the Dragon radar, noticing that they had moved southeast away from both of the Dragon Balls. They would be sixty kilometers further away from the south Dragon Ball they first located as the other disappeared off the radar. They did, however, pick up another blip of a Dragon ball further southwest.

' _Collecting the Dragon Balls would have been **hellish** without this device_.' Vegeta thought.

" **I'll stop at their last position on the scouter and hopefully we can coax them out to talk to us.** " Bulma said over the wind, cutting though Vegeta's thoughts and causing his head to lift up to look at her profile. Not hearing a response from him she shifted her head to look over her shoulder slightly. " **Radar pick up anything new?** "

Vegeta leaned forward in order not to bellow over the wind and spoke near her ear. " **A** **Dragon Ball southwest over a hundred twenty kilometers. Other than that, we moved away from the others.** "

Giving a curt nod, Bulma spoke up over the wind. " **Don't worry, we'll circle back and get them afterwards. What we really need to worry about is how to use them, and if they are tied to a Namekian like Earth's Dragon Balls. Does us no good to collect them just to have Frieza kill the guy who created them...** "

Vegeta grunted back, " **I agree.** " He had learned his lesson on Earth and didn't want to get rid of the only remaining Dragon Balls by accidentally killing the Namekian they were tied to.

Bulma glanced down at the bike's console to see they were almost twenty kilometers out from where the power levels disappeared. " **We're almost there.** " As they reached their destination, Bulma eased up on the throttle and cut the engine.

Before she could prop up and get off her bike, Vegeta had already handed her the radar with a gruff " **Here.** " He shot up into the sky and saw from his higher vantage point that the Namekians were not to be found.

Bulma pocketed the radar in her jacket and moved away from her bike looking around in all directions. Unable to see a soul around, Bulma decided to take a chance and cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted loud into the empty grassland. " **Hello? Anyone around?** " She waited for a response before looking up to see Vegeta floating far above her with a scowl on his features. Shrugging at him, Bulma cupped her hands to her mouth again and shouted out one last time. " **We are looking for a Guru? King Kai mentioned that we would be coming from Earth?** " Her scouter blipped shortly after and she watched as a stout, older, Piccolo look-alike emerged from a hidden passage in the ground not more than forty meters from her. Seeing the Namekian emerge, Vegeta floated back down to the ground while Bulma walked quickly to greet him. " **Oh, hi! Can you help us?** " Bulma cheerfully said as she reached the Namekian.

" **Are you with the ones that sent a warning to Great Elder Guru about Frieza's army?** " The elder Namekian stated. Vegeta reached Bulma's side and growled intimidatingly at the Elder, and caused the man to tense in defense. Bulma slapped at Vegeta's breastplate with the back of her hand to scold him for his behavior.

" **Stop that! Be nice! Don't mind him he's just hangry from the trip.** " Giving the Namekain her most warm hearted smile she nodded her head at him. " **Yes, we are looking to collect the Dragon Balls and use them to help this guy here defeat Frieza and his men.** " Bulma thumbed at Vegeta at the mention of 'this guy'. She extended her hand to shake the Namekian's hand in greeting. " **I'm Bulma, and this lovely ray of sunshine is Vegeta.** " Bulma said teasingly as she grasped the Namekian's hand in a gentle shake. The stout Namekian visually relaxed and a small smile graced his lips.

" **My name is Elder Moori, Grand Elder Guru told us of your coming. Thank you for your warning.** " Elder Moori said to Bulma genuinely.

Vegeta's gruff, irritated voice cut their conversation off. " **Woman! Enough of this, get to the point or I will!** " Elder Moori's eyes flicked nervously to the Saiyan as Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed out loud to herself. Turning to the impatient prince, she grabbed his arm and tugged to get him to follow her.

" **Excuse us a minute Moori, I need to have a word with my friend here.** " Bulma chirped over her shoulder as she convinced Vegeta to follow her a few meters away from the baffled Namekian.  
  
" **Woman, you are wasting valuable tim-** " Vegeta ground out before Bulma hissed over him with whispered vehemence.

" **Then stop INTERRUPTING me! I told you, with _honey_ not vinegar! You really think being a scary, nasty, grump ass is going to get them to help us?**" Her eyes flashed with fury as Vegeta glared back with an equal amount reflected in his own obsidian eyes.

" **Watch yourself woman. I've been tolerant of your insolence long enough.** "

Bulma threw her hands up in the air infuriated with his sudden change in attitude since stasis. " **What the hell Vegeta?! What bug crawled up your ass since stasis huh?** " Vegeta clenched his jaw at her words and tried to ignore the dream he had earlier that nagged at the back of his mind.

Stepping closer and putting as much warning in his words, Vegeta stared icily at the woman. " **You forget I could kill you before you could blink.** " His fingers glowed with large amounts of blue Ki as he took aim under her chin and at her throat.

Bulma briefly narrowed her eyes and steeled herself against his threat. She was tired of this constant charade of tough-guy machismo. Bulma leaned forward into his hand and had his Ki lightly burn at her throat like a bad sunburn. Her unflinching, no-nonsense eyes stared right back at his challenging ones. " **Do it then.** " She whispered coolly. Vegeta's eyes flickered to her throat and she saw the hesitation hidden there before he shuttered it. " **I'm tired of you fighting me Vegeta. If you're going to break your word as a Saiyan then fucking just get it over with and kill me already!** " Bulma said sternly as she kept the adrenaline she felt from causing her voice to shake. She knew she was taking a big risk with him, hoping that his pride would win out over his anger. Bulma watched as emotions she couldn't put names to fluttered in his eyes before his typical scowl, his defensive mask, shot up and shielded them once again.

" **You are playing a dangerous game, woman.** " His cold, whispered response brushed over her heated face. The Ki in his hand fizzled out, yet he didn't move away from their close stand off.

Bulma's eyes softened as she held his gaze to reply. " **No game, I'm just tired of you treating me like I'm out to backstab you.** "

Vegeta stared at her with a grave look for a few heartbeats before he quietly voiced back. " **Are you?** "

The serious, honest question reflected in his eyes made the corner of her mouth quirk slightly as Bulma's whole body relaxed in its posture. She reached up and placed her hand to her chin as she tilted her head to the side. " **No, but the real question is even if I tell you a hundred times will you ever believe me?** " Vegeta's jaw clenched at her words as he silently gauged the woman in front of him. Before they could get his answer to her question, a voice spoke up over the silence.

" **Ex-excuse me, but I really think we should get going. The Great Elder wishes to speak with you both and he does not have much time left**." Elder Moori shouted out to them timidly. He was able to hear their conversation due to his Namekian ears, yet he felt it wasn't his place to speak up between the two. From the strange blue-haired woman he could sense good, if not volatile, anger, but the darkness he sensed in the other was disturbing.

' _Although, there was a brief glimpse of light there for a second. Maybe it's because of the woman?_ ' The Elder thought hopefully to himself. Bulma nodded to the Namekian and went to capsule her bike with a puff of smoke.

" **Yes, of course. Is he alright?** "

Elder moori shook his head grimly. " **He is very old and sick. I fear his time is fast approaching.** " Bulma slid close to Vegeta and threw her left arm around his neck, startling the prince.

" **Then we better set off right away.** " Bulma said to the Elder over her shoulder as she nodded to Vegeta. " **Ready when you are. Just don't drop me please.** " She half expected for the Saiyan to bitch at her for her actions, but Vegeta just grunted and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly. They both looked toward Moori as the Namekian rose into the air.

" **Good. This way.** "

Vegeta launched himself into the air and shot them after the Elder. Bulma wrapped both arms tightly around Vegeta's shoulders and ducked her head down against the wind. As the ground raced by them, Bulma noticed that Vegta's secure grip on her waist was gentle but kept her from slipping. Ten minutes of flight time and the group reached a giant mountain with a big Namekian building placed on the flat top of it. Slowing his ascent, Elder Moori landed with Vegeta touching down next to him.

Zarbon's voice crackled over the scouter startling Bulma and Vegeta. " **Dodoria! Ship's scouters picked up a power level of twelve thousand forty-five kilometers northwest of your location.** "

Dodoria's voice answered quickly back. " **That must be Vegeta! What is he doing? There's nothing out there.** " Bulma removed her arms swiftly and hissed desperately at the Saiyan.

" **Hide your Ki! We don't want them to find Elder Guru if he is the Dragon Ball creator.** " Vegeta gruffly removed his arm from Bulma's waist and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes as he lowered his level and used his senses to feel out the high Ki energy southwest that was Dodoria.

" **Wait, it's gone!** " Zarbon's surprised voice blared out.

" **What? HA! Maybe the stupid ape got himself killed with one of the Namekian ambushes.** " Dodoria said cackling over the scouter. Zarbon's stern reprimand came quicker than Vegeta's anger could flare up.

" **You better hope for our sakes that's not the case. Frieza will not be happy his favorite 'toy' is no longer alive.** " Vegeta's snarl died in his throat as a soft gentle hand brushed his arm. He looked down to see the woman with sad eyes look back at him. His gut clenched painfully as though Zarbon himself punched him at that moment and he quickly looked away from her face.

" **Want me to check it out after I finish with these villagers? There's an Elder here willing to talk if I 'save the children.'** " Dodoria's voice asked.

" **No.** " Zarbon quickly replied. " **Frieza wants answers now more than he wants to reign in Vegeta's little _rebellion_. Bring the Namekian back first.**"

Dodoria grunted in agreement over the scouter. " **Understood.** "

With the conversation over between the two, Bulma lightly shook Vegeta's arm to grab his attention. " **I really need to get that EMP up and running ASAP. We need those scouters out of the picture if we want to move around quickly.** "

" **Hn.** " Vegeta agreed at her words and they both turned to see a tall, young Namekian warrior exit the building.

" **Nail!** " Elder Moori exclaimed as he greeted the young warrior.

" **Elder Moori, it's good to see you.** " Nail said back kindly. Moori looked past Nail at the entrance of the building.

" **How's Lord Guru fairing?** " Moori whispered softly.

The young Namekian's face fell as he replied back. " **Not well, he's struggling more often to breath and he started coughing up blood a day ago. I fear we would be lucky to get more than a week with healers.** " Elder Moori bowed his head and nodded solemnly.

" **Well, I have two individuals that were sent from Earth by King Kai to speak with him, if possible.** " Nail glanced past the Elder to the two standing just behind him and nodded.

" **Of course, Great Elder Guru has been waiting for your arrival. This way.** " The Namekian warrior turned and entered the building as the rest followed him. Bulma latched on to Vegeta's arm as he grabbed her around her waist again to float them up to the second floor. Bulma saw the largest and oldest Namekian she could ever imagine sitting in a large throne. She could hear his breath wheeze as he struggled to breathe. Her heart went out to the old Namekian and she turned to quietly address Nail.

" **Respiratory failure?** "

The young warrior nodded as he said gently. " **Abnormalities in his lungs, our healers keep trying to repair the damage but it gets worse each time. Lord Guru says it's due to his age. His cells are dying.** " Bulma dug through her utility belt and uncapsuled her medical kit. Digging through the box, Bulma grabbed a small pill box with painkillers. She did quick calculations in her head and handed them to the surprised Namekian.

" **These should help with his pain, but it sounds like cancer in his lungs if it is coming back more aggressive each time. Mutation in the cells cause them to attack healthy tissue.** " Nail took the painkillers and nodded at the woman gratefully. " **With his size, start with taking eight every eight hours and see if that helps. Otherwise up the dose but don't go past twenty in a twenty four hour time frame. You risk damaging his liver and kidneys if you do.** " Bulma rattled off as she capsuled her kit back up and deposited back in her pouch. **"They should be taken with food but you guys only consume water to survive right?** " Bulma said as the two Namekians looked at her with stunned expressions.

" **Y-yes, how did you know?** " Moori stuttered out.

Bulma smiled back and replied. " **We had a friend on Earth that was Namekian, he never ate anything but man would he drink like a fish out of water.** " She laughed lightly at her own joke, but it died in her throat as Guru coughed loudly. Guru's wet and painful sounding coughs made Bulma wince as everyone in the room stilled. After a few wheezing breaths, Elder Guru was able to get his breathing under control and beckoned with his finger for the human and Saiyan to step forward. Bulma walked up to stop at the stairs to his throne with Vegeta's heavier steps echoing behind her.

With a shaky breath, Elder Guru spoke to her. " **Welcome child from Earth. I have been hoping for your safe arrival.** " Bowing her head slightly, Bulma put a hand to her chest and replied.

" **Greetings Elder Guru, I am Bulma Briefs.** " She turned to face Vegeta and held her hand out to gesture to him. " **And this here, with me, is Prince Vegeta of the Saiyan race.** " At Bulma's use of his proper title, Vegeta smirked slightly and nodded.

' _So the woman can behave properly..._ ' Vegeta thought to himself smugly.

Bulma turned back to face the large Namekian and walked up the few steps to his throne. " **We were hoping you could answer some questions for us about the Dragon Balls.** " Nail had walked over to Guru's side and handed him some of the pills from the bottle Bulma had given him along with a cup of water.

" **Here, Elder. The woman said it would help with your pain.** " The young warrior said as Elder Guru took the painkillers and chased them down with the water.

" **Thank you, Nail. You, as well, Bulma. I sense much good in you. I will try and answer what I can about the Dragon Balls. I assume you desire them to make your three wishes.** " Bulma's heart leapt at his words as her mind raced.

" **Wait, three? Your Dragon Balls grant three wishes?** " Bulma said hopefully. Elder Guru nodded at her question and took a deep rattling breath.

" **Yes, I created the Dragon Balls after the Great Cataclysm several hundred years ago. It devastated our Planet almost causing our extinction. All the Namekian's you see now on this planet are born from me. I beg you! Save them, protect my children...** " His coughing fit came back with a vengeance as Guru gasped out his plea.

Bulma placed her small hand on his finger to assure him as she spoke gently. " **I'll try and see what we can do. I need to know if there is any special way to summon the Dragon or limitations on his magic.** " Vegeta, who had been silent all this time, uncrossed his arms and spoke up gruffly.

" **Limitations?!** " Before Bulma could turn to respond, Elder Guru's wheezy voice spoke up over her head.

" **Yes, the Dragon of dreams, Porunga, must be summoned in the Namekian language with a password. Also, all wishes must be made in the Namekian language as well.** " Bulma nodded thoughtfully as she heard Vegeta mutter " **damn it!** " under his breath behind her.

Bulma turned her gaze to the large Namekian and asked. " **Are there any restrictions on what one can wish? Also, how long will it take for the Dragon Balls to restore?** " Elder Guru smiled at the woman and nodded.

" **I see this isn't your first time dealing with Dragon Balls.** " Bulma shook her head and patted the giant Namekian's finger as he coughed and wheezed again. Taking in deep breaths, Guru's raspy voice spoke out. " **I'm alright child, thank you. Yes there are some restrictions. Only one person can be summoned back from the dead with a wish, but there is no limit on how long they have been dead. However, if they die of old age or from natural causes Porunga will be unable to resurrect them.** "

Vegeta's voice boomed over Bulma's shoulder as he cut off the Elder's speech. " **What about granting immortality? Any limits on that?** " Elder Guru looked quietly at the Saiyan prince, reading his Ki and the darkness that enveloped his heart. Bulma's voice broke through the Elder's thoughts as she gently reprimanded the warrior.

" **Vegeta!** " The Saiyan glanced at the woman grumpily and Elder Guru saw a small light flicker in his heart at the movement. Growling as he tore his gaze away from the woman, Guru saw the light fade almost to nothing.

 _'It's there but just barely, a goodness in him that others tried to smother out with darkness._ ' Glancing down at the small blue-haired female, Guru saw the defiant fire in her eyes as she refused to back down. ' _This little one is causing the light to grow, maybe there is hope yet._ '

Turning his attention back to Vegeta, Elder Guru's gaze pierced the prince on the spot. His voice came out calm and full of sorrow as if he knew Vegeta's inner-most thoughts. " **Yes, Porunga can grant immortality. However, I would advise against such a lonely and desolate existence no matter the dire reason you think you must achieve it.** " Vegeta straightened his posture and glared back at the Namekian sitting on the throne.

" **That is not any of your concern.** " His voice spoke icily.

Elder Guru paused for a moment, matching Vegeta's glare and coolly replied. " **Perhaps not.** " He looked down at the woman below him still staring reproachfully at the Saiyan prince. " **But one tends to go mad at being forced to watch all those he cares for die without him while the universe fills with a cold void.** " Elder Guru's eyes flickered up with a knowing look as he gazed at Vegeta in silence. Vegeta tried to suppress a shiver as the Elder's words rang through his mind. He knew what would await him after his vengeance was complete, but he would not let that stop him from carrying it out. It was the price he had to pay to ensure he made that bastard suffer for everything he had done to him and many countless others. Vegeta grit his teeth and balled his fists as he sternly stared back at Elder Guru.

" **Then it's a good thing I have no one I care for.** " Vegeta said numbly as he refused to have his eyes drift to the woman.

Elder Guru's wrinkled brow arched up in surprise. A small grin tugged at the corner of the Elder's mouth. " **Really?** " Elder Guru blithely said. His eyes slid to Bulma for a brief second before he looked back knowingly at the Saiyan prince. " **Are you sure?** " Refusing to reply, Vegeta crossed his arms defiantly and stood in silence. Bulma turned back to the Elder and squeezed his finger to grab his attention.

" **Don't mind him. He's just determined to have this Frieza pay for everything he's done to him.** " Bulma's eyes grew glassy as her empathy for all that Vegeta must have suffered under Frieza's thumb came to the surface. She didn't want to stand there and cry, acting like a weak-willed child. Bulma quickly shoved those feeling down and straightened her shoulders. " **Thank you Great Elder Guru. We should be on our way.** " Nodding at the blue-haired woman, Elder Guru gave her a kind smile as he spoke.

" **Yes, the medication you have given me is already starting to work, for that I am very grateful. Before you go I should tell you, we have told our most trusted and strongest warriors to hide the Dragon Balls all over Namek.** " Bulma removed her hand from the Elder and grabbed the radar from her pocket in her jacket and showed it to him.

" **No worries there. I created a Dragon Radar. I can track them down with this, but it's probably a good thing you hid them.** " Elder Guru nodded, his breaths becoming more labored as time passed. " **We will leave you to rest Elder, but I will have more friends that will show up to help in a few days. If your people could keep your Ki hidden and stay safe, I promise this will be over soon.** " The Elder relaxed as Bulma made her way back to Vegeta and the other two Namekians. Rifling through one of her pouches in her utility belt, Bulma pulled out a type of hand free communicator device. It was small enough to fit in one's ear yet not draw attention to itself. Bulma messed with the setting, putting it on her secure comms line, and gave it Elder Moori. " **Here. This is a communication device. I have it set so when you use it to speak you will only reach my scouter. If anything happens or you see Frieza's men moving for an attack or Dragon Ball let me know.** " The Elder looked at the woman shocked, then quickly nodded his head in agreement putting on the comms device.

" **Y-yes of course, thank you.** " Bulma's smile was radiant as she tested the link with the Elder and showed him how to use it. Her words were cut short as Vegeta's impatient and harsh voice interrupted her explanation.

" **Woman! We are done here, let's go!** "

Huffing over her shoulder at his hasty retreat, Bulma waved back at the Namekians. " **Sorry gotta go, remember to call if you need anything! Bye!** " Bulma just barely reached Vegeta in time before he lifted off to drop to the main floor below. She quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on. " **Hey.** " Bulma said as they landed. She unwound her arms and walked next to the Saiyan as they made their way back into the light of the three suns outside. " **I really would like to find a place for a base of operations or something. I want to finish this EMP so we can take out Frieza's scouters and sensors.** "

Vegeta turned toward her and grunted his gruff reply. " **Woman, the Dragon Balls-** "

Bulma quickly spoke over him gently, her hand placed on his crossed forearm. " **Are hidden by the Namekians, and only the scouters will show Frieza where they are hidden by the Namekian's standing guard. The moment Frieza realizes that the large groups will not have them he'll look for the strongest warriors and then they might really find them.** " Grunting his disapproval at her interruption, Vegeta turned his head and looked at her from the side. " **The faster we can take out those scouters, the better off all of us will be.** " Vegeta couldn't refute her logic. Nodding, he relented and looked at the clever woman next to him.

" **Fine. We'll need to set up a trap for Frieza and his men to gather them all together for the wave to take out all the scouters at once.** " Vegeta and Bulma's conversation was halted as Cui's battered and angry voice filtered through the scouter.  
  
" **Commander Zarbon, this is Cui requesting permission from Lord Frieza to hunt down that Prince of filth Vegeta on Namek!** "

Bulma's eyes widened in alarm as Vegeta snarled and hissed out. " **Well, well. Looks like sleeping beauty finally decided to wake up and join us.** "

Zarbon's voice spoke up, preventing Bulma from saying anything in return. " **Cui? What are you doing here? Frieza ordered you for planet repurposing.** "

Cui's venomous voice quickly replied back. " **That spineless monkey and whore of his broken every limb of mine and fled to Namek. I want to be the one who hunts his ape ass down and breaks him into a whimpering mess!** " 

" **Whore? Vegeta isn't alone? How did he manage to break your limbs Cui?** " Zarbon's confused voice quipped out.

Cui choked back defensively. " **I let my guard down when I saw the bitch. Mark my words Zarbon, I WILL get my revenge. Even if I have to take it out on his delectable, little woman.** " When the next voice came over the scouter, Vegeta's features went cool and frozen.

" **Woman? With Vegeta? Do tell Cui.** "

Bulma could feel the blood in her veins run cold as the voice scraped over her brain like nails, sending shivers down her spine. Looking to Vegeta, she saw the blood had run from his face as he mouthed quietly " **Frieza...** "

Cui's determined voice shook and stuttered at the sound of the tyrant's. " **L-Lord F-Frieza!** " An audible gulp could be heard before Cui's voice came back over. " **M-my Lord! I beg you. Let me chase down this monkey filth and dispose of him!** " A quiet silence followed until the ice-filled voice came back over the scouter.

" **I shall permit you to hunt down Vegeta Cui, but I want him back alive. As well as this...woman, you mentioned he has with him, _unharmed_. If Vegeta has taken a woman with him she must have some value or knowledge of the Dragon Balls. Am I understood Cui?**"

Relief could be heard in Cui's voice as he quickly responded. " **O-of course! Thank you my Lord. I will see to it immediately!** "

Bulma glanced toward Vegeta, his tense jaw ticked as his ashen face turned to her. Bulma's quiet voice hitched as she spoke tentatively to him. " **You can defeat Cui right?** " Vegeta nodded confidently as the blood began to slowly run back to his face. " **Good, We need to find a safe spot quick. We need that EMP yesterday.** " She said as she hastily dug out her bike's capsule from the pouches in her belt. Vegeta scanned their surroundings. He saw a cliffside with cave like patterns about sixty kilometers to the north of their position. Picking up the woman around her waist, he jumped off the mountain and floated down to the ground beneath. Bulma released a startled yelp before latching onto the Saiyan's neck to hold on. Releasing his grip as he landed, Vegeta motioned with his head towards the north.

" **I saw a cliffside with caves sixty kilometers that way. It's a good defensive position.** " Bulma shook her head to regain her senses and nodded as she un-capsuled her bike. Motioning for him to get on, she swung one leg over and started the engine.

" **Sounds like a good place to start. C'mon, we don't want Cui to catch us so close to Elder Guru and tip off Frieza on his whereabouts.** " Vegeta sat down behind her and moved his arm around her waist. Bulma's stomach flopped around like a fish out of water as she tried to steady her voice. " **Hang on.** " Gunning the engine, Bulma leaned forward and set her sight north to where Vegeta pointed out the system of caves. Speeding along for twenty minutes, her scouter blipped as she registered a power level around eighteen thousand to the northeast. Feeling Vegeta's arm tighten slightly around her, she looked over her shoulder to see him looking in the direction the Ki appeared. " **Is that Cui?** " Bulma shouted over the wind. He nodded and closed his eyes to get a better reading. Keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her, Bulma tilted her head and spoke again. " **Is he far? You're keeping your power down right?** "

Vegeta grunted loudly and leaned closer to her ear. " **Yes, woman! I'm lowering it as much as I can.** "

They were coming up to the cliffside and Bulma could see the cave openings before them. Slowing down and skidding to a stop, Bulma dismounted the bike. Vegeta launched into the air to the top of the cliff and checked their surroundings. Encapsulating her bike after grabbing her backpack from it's storage, Bulma moved inside the opening of a ground level cave. Walking deeper into the cave, Bulma pulled out her flashlight from her backpack and flicked it on. The cave's narrow opening spanned for a good twenty meters before opening to a wide cavern with tiny specks of light filtering through from above. Bulma saw a tiny pool off to the right in the back of the cavern and decided this was a perfect spot for a temporary base.

" **This is great! Water, well concealed, and enough room for the base.** " Rifling though the backpack for her camping kit, Bulma pulled out the small box of capsules. She uncapped the house and watched as a dome shaped building appeared in the middle of the cavern, filling it up. Moving to the back side of the house, she un-capsulated the water pump and filtration unit and started to hook it up to the house. She heard heavy footfalls as she finished wrenching up the pipes to the house. " **Hey, over here!** " She said as she took out one last capsule and walked toward the front of the cave's opening. Spotting Vegea's stunned features, Bulma smiled smugly. " **Pretty cool, huh? Almost done here, I just need to set up the solar power panels and we should be good. Did you see a flat spot up there?** " Vegeta glanced at her hands to see her holding the box of capsules and nodded. " **You think you could take me up there? Need to charge this place and having three suns will provide us with a shit ton of power, thank Kami.** "

" **Hn,** " Vegeta grunted as Bulma tossed her backpack over by the Capsule Corp. house door.

Tilting her head up, Bulma saw a decent sized hole in the cavern roof and pointed to it. " **Think you can fly me up through there? The closer I can run the wires the better.** " Bulma walked the rest of the way over to the Saiyan and wrapped an arm around his neck as he grabbed around her waist. Flying up through the hole, Bulma saw a good flat spot a few meters from it that was perfect for her panels. " **There! Land right there, please.** " Vegeta touched down at the spot and Bulma un-capsulated the solar panels. Angling them in the right direction for maximum output she grabbed the cables that would attach to the house to provide power and gently tossed them through the hole. " **Now, just need to rappel down and pin them out of the way.** " Grabbing one of the last capsules she had in her kit she opened it to reveal climbing gear. Vegeta watched with interest as she tied some rope around a rock's surface and hooked herself with some kind of motorized pully contraption.

" **What are you doing?** " He said in amusement as Bulma was about to descend into the opening with the rope in her hands.

" **Setting up the wires. See ya down there!** " She said with light-heartedness and gave a dazzling smile as leaped down through the hole. Stumbling a few steps forward after her, Vegeta cautiously watched as the woman braced her self and repelled down the side of the cavern. Grabbing a few metal brackets and hammering them in to pin the solar wires to the side of the cavern, Bulma slowly made her way down. Landing successfully, she lifted her head up to shout back up at Vegeta only to find him gone. His gruff voice came in soft next to her side as he spoke.

" **Stupid woman. You're going to break you neck doing inane shit like that someday.** "

Turning quickly to glare back at his words she huffed. " **Well, I didn't see you volunteering to do it! Besides, that was nothing! I've gone down steeper cliffsides with barely any safety line before. This was nothing!** " He clicked his tongue at her comment and stared her down challengingly.

" **You're just proving my point, woman. Your race is so weak you have to resort to this?** " His face contorted in a disgusted snarl as he waved his hand over the climbing gear she used. He would never mention how he was truly impressed with how she handled herself and didn't let any height or limitation stop her. " **You must have a Deathwish the way you flirt with death.** " Vegeta smirked as he saw her blue eyes blaze in response as she grabbed the wires and shoved past the Saiyan.

" **Well, EX-CUSE ME! You don't have to use this house or enjoy the benefits of a hot shower, cooked meals, and electricity. In fact, Mr. High and Mighty Prince! It seems this _humble abode_ is too lowly for your lofty standards!**" Plugging in the cables and hearing the power surge through the converter in the house, Bulma turned to see the smirk wiped off Vegeta's smug face. Popping her hip to one side and resting her hand on it, Bulma waved dismissively at him. " **I wouldn't _dream_ of forcing you to slum it with those so beneath you, so you are free to find better lodgings elsewhere.**" Turning on her heels, Bulma caught the fleeting glimpse of worry cross his features before she swiftly walked back to the front, grabbed her backpack off the ground, and marched into the house. Hesitating for only a second, Vegeta stomped after her into the house growling out as he walked.

" **I go where I please, woman! Like _HELL_ I will be sleeping outside.**" Flicking on the lights in the house, Bulma stopped and turned to the irate Saiyan behind her. Shoving a finger against his chest, she pushed back against him and glared defiantly at him.

" **You will if you don't change your fucking attitude right this fucking minute buster! I'm the only one who knows how to keep this place running and I will NOT be disrespected like that!** " Vegeta glared back his own defiant snarl and Bulma took two steps closer. " **If you think I'm not spiteful enough to tear all this down I dare you.... _TRY ME._** " Vegeta did his best to stomp down and not let it show how much of a thrill he was getting from this small, slight of a woman challenging him. He had never met someone so fiery and untamed in spirit as she, and it called out to his Saiyan blood. However, he did not doubt her threat and really preferred to have the amenities that were denied him for so long.

Biting down on his tongue, Vegeta tried to cool his temper and grunted. " **Hn, whatever woman. Didn't you say you needed to finish that contraption? Are you just wasting our time with this foolishness?** "  
  
Bulma opened her mouth to say something biting back, but stopped at the sullen look on the prince's face. ' _He's trying to concede gracefully. All he knows is HOW to pick a fight..._ ' Bulma thought as she backed up and retreated her hand from his chest. " **You're right, I should worry about that first.** " Vegeta's brow quirked at her words as he stood there, arms crossed, unsure of what to do. It was at that moment, Vegeta's stomach let loose an inhuman growl that echoed through the tiny house. Bulma stifled a laugh as the prince's cheeks pinked in embarrassment. " **Well, maybe not first. Come on, let's feed that demon of a stomach then I'll get to working on the EMP.** " Vegeta clicked his tongue as he followed Bulma into the kitchen area. Pointing to a chair, she gestured for him to sit as she pulled off her scouter and placed it at the end of the table.

" **Go ahead and sit there and I'll have something ready for us in ten minutes.** " Bulma went to the fridge to see what was stocked as Vegeta pulled out the chair and sat silently. Closing his eyes, Vegeta tried to feel out Cui's Ki and keep tabs on the soldier as he heard clanging, beeping, and the sound of something being heated behind him. He had just sensed Cui reach a small outpost with Namekians. A fight must have ensued as some of them fled southwest towards their location. A large clang of a plate placed in front of him snapped Vegeta out of his tracking. Looking up he saw two small, fully cooked roast birds with stuffing and seasoned vegetables. It smelled absolutely delicious and Vegeta's mouth watered as he took off his gloves to tear into it. Another plate plunked down to his left as two metal utensils hovered in front of his face.

" **Use these, I don't want a huge mess to clean up so try not get food on yourself. Ok, Vegeta?** " Growling at her, Vegeta grabbed the utensils from her and glared threateningly as she turned to heat up more dishes and a huge jug of water. Just as Vegeta started to finish the first bird, Bulma placed down five more dishes with varying meats and vegetables, from pot roast to meat loaf. Already feeling less dissatisfied, Vegeta hummed his approval and turned back to the food. " **You're welcome. Let me know if you need more later, alright? I should get to working on this.** " Bulma said.

Looking up briefly, Vegeta saw she moved to the other end of the table and un-capsulated the scraps and scouters she grabbed from the outpost. Stilling his movements, Vegeta remembered that she said they would still be transmitting and that she had yet to fix that. Bulma saw his movements still and guessed that he was waiting for her to put the scouters away. She quickly grabbed one and a few other parts she needed and re-capsulated the rest. Un-capsulating her tools, she quickly proceeded to remove the broadcasting chip in the scouter and gave Vegeta a thumbs up when done.

" **Ok, we're good. Thanks for waiting in silence for that.** " She said.

" **Hn,** " was his reply as he went back to demolishing the food before him. Bending down, Bulma grabbed her backpack and dug out her unfinished EMP device and got back to completing her work. Placing everything on the table, she silently removed the power cell from the scouter and placed it in the device. Hooking up wires and soldering them in place, Bulma didn't notice when Vegeta had finished and picked up the plates and gently placed them in the sink or the counter near it. Sliding the shielding on the device into place, she clicked the few buttons to see if everything was in working order. She would need to hold down the charge for three seconds before releasing the wave to ensure it didn't go off accidentally and fry any sensitive equipment they had in the house. A shadow crossed over her light, and Bulma looked up to see Vegeta standing over her in a much better mood.

' _Note to self: If Vegeta starts acting out, odds are he's hangry._ ' Smiling lightly at him she held up the device for him to inspect. " **Done! Just in time, I see.** " she joked and laughed lightly. " **I guess it's too much to ask that you leave something for me, huh?** " Vegeta's eyes shot up quickly as he looked at the table then back to her with a fleeting guilty look in his eyes. Sighing, Bulma got up and shuffled to the fridge and grabbed a pre-wrapped ham sandwich and sat back down at the table. Unwrapping the sandwich, Bulma attacked it with fervor, as Vegeta went to the fridge to rifle through for something. " **Still hungry? Damn, we might not last the month with your appetite...** " She gulped down her bite of sandwich as he placed a bottle of water in front of her and grunted as he sat in the seat next to her. Looking up to see his face turned away, eyes closed, Bulma grabbed the water bottle and twisted the top off to drink.

" **Oh! Thank you.** " Bulma quickly took a few gulps, and turned back to eat in silence. She quickly finished her meal and drank the rest of her water. Turning to the Saiyan, she saw his eyes open with one brow quirked in question. " **No, I'm good with just that.** " Nodding his head slightly, Vegeta stood up and moved to the front door.

" **We should take out Cui before he kills his way to us from the north.** " He said matter-of-factly.

Startled at the sudden change of topic, Bulma stood and grabbed her scouter and EMP device as she followed him. " **Wait. He's been on a rampage this whole time?!** " Stuffing the EMP device in her vest pocket, she flicked off the lights as she left. They hastily made their way out of the cave and back into the suns outside. Shoving the scouter back over her ear and onto her face, Bulma clicked it on and saw that indeed Cui's power level was in conflict with a few others much lower than his. About five to seven thousand levels lower, to be exact and one just flicked dangerously low. " **Damn it! Why didn't you tell me? I was wasting time with fucking stuffing my face when those poor people...** " Vegeta's warm arm banded around her waist and grabbed her tightly.

" **Woman, even the strongest of warriors need to replenish their strength. If you want to be able to be at your best to fight, you needed to eat.** " Vegeta said stoically.

Looking up to his serious face, Bulma was stunned into silence. None of her friends ever mentioned her being part of the group in fighting. They all just assumed she wouldn't want to or be able to. ' _Or made sure I was never allowed to be near enough to do anything to help..._ ' She thought angrily.

" **Vegeta, I want to thank you.** " She said softly as she wrapped her left arm around his shoulders. His brows rose in disbelief as he blinked back.

" **For what, woman? What I said is obvious to every fighter.** " He replied back as Bulma's hollow smile reflected her thoughts.

" **Exactly. Every fighter. No one has ever called me that. Let alone let me get close enough to help because of my low Ki.** " Vegeta's face grew stern as he took in the bitterness in the woman's eyes.

" **It's true your Ki is the level of 12, one of the lowest I've come across. Yet you've proven to have more fighting spirit and are much more clever than most of the fighters on that mud ball of a planet you call home.** " Taken aback by his words, Bulma could only stare at the man that was her enemy not more than a week ago.

" **Vegeta...** " She barely managed to say. Vegeta's eyes grew distant as his gaze left her to some point off in the distance above her.

" **Everyone has the right to fight for what they believe in. Even if they are to die trying.** " He whispered out quietly.

Bulma couldn't put her thoughts into words. How had Vegeta voiced everything she had been feeling ever since she met the Z fighters, yet her friends had no clue. Her desire to do something, anything to help, but they kept saying she would only hold them back or distract them. The beeping on the scouter brought both of them back from their thoughts as another power level fell low. " **Hurry. We need to reach Cui and stop him.** " Vegeta pushed off the ground and quickly flew through the air toward Cui's Ki in the north. Bulma held on tight as she kept her head facing the wind to read the fading power levels of the defenders. As they reached a small village, Bulma could see blasts and smoldering rubble. Vegeta touched down near some of the wounded Namekian bodies and let go of the woman. His gazed flickered to the carnage among them, and his lips curled down in disgust.

" **You stay here woman. Tend to them if you must, but I don't want you to get caught in the blast I'm about to make.** "

Looking up to see Vegeta's grin grow diabolical, Bulma knew that whatever the Saiyan had planned for Cui was going to be messy and she didn't want to be anywhere near it. Bulma latched on to Vegeta's shoulder pad quickly, before he left, to grab his attention.

" **Vegeta**." She breathed as he turned his profile towards her in response. " **Take out his scouter immediately. We don't want any information to get back to Frieza that could help him locate Elder Guru.** " Looking down to the bloody body of a young Namekian warrior, Bulma saw that he had died shielding a small Namkeian child under him. The child's soft sobs coupled with pleading words in his own language tore at her heart.

" **And Vegeta? I'm sorry.** "

Clenching her fists, Bulma tried to fight off the rage building in her chest at the merciless attacks on these people by Cui. Vegeta's brows arched at her apology as he waited for the woman to control her warring emotions. " **I should've let you paint the wall with that fucker's blood...** " He grunted in agreement. Tilting her head up to meet his black eyes, Bulma's tear-filled blue ones shone with determination. " **I won't question you again on how you want to handle these fuckers, so make that bastard pay!** " Bulma spat out angrily.

" **Oh, I will.** " Vegeta responded as he nodded his head and said coldly, his obsidian eyes turned hard. Vegeta turned toward Cui's Ki signature and blasted off to meet with him. Bulma's scouter beeped as it picked up Vegeta's power level at eighteen thousand as well as he flew away. Bulma tore her gaze away from Vegeta's receding form and bent down to aid the Namekian child.

" **Hey there, what's your name? I'm Bulma.** "

The small child lifted his tear stained face, wiping the blood from his cheeks as he timidly replied. " **Dende. A-are you here to h-help us?** "

Bulma smiled warmly as she pulled out her medical kit pill and un-capsulated it. Pulling out a few alcohol wipes, she gently cleaned the child's face and wounds. " **I'll do what I can, but the dark, muscle-y, grumpy guy that just flew off? He's with me, and he's gonna make sure to stop the aliens that did this.** " Dende started to relax as the woman cleaned him up, her hands kind and soothing. His tears fell again to the ground as he glanced down at his fallen brother. " **Hey.** " Bulma tilted his head so the small Namekian looked into her empathetic, deep blue eyes. " **It's gonna be ok. I promise you. Vegeta won't let that bastard get away with this."**

Bulma's smile curled at the corners of her mouth as her thoughts reflected Vegeta's earlier sentiments. ' _He is a Saiyan prince after all, and they ALWAYS keep their word._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh you have yet to see him keeping his word!
> 
> Also, for those that might be wondering why the power levels seem to fluctuant it's because Vegeta is hiding his power level at different increments. to be able to fly fast he needs it to be around 12k (the amount it was when he fought on earth.) He can almost make it non existent (like 5k or so) but that takes hard concentration at the moment because he's still learning how to master it. when he leaves he powers up to Cui's level to not reveal he's stronger and 'play' with Cui a bit before defeating him. the desire for a good fight is strong in the Saiyan genes.
> 
> Here there everyone! This was a bit harder to write this time. A lot going on that I know needed to happen but not quite sure how I wanted it to go down or how to keep the tension up. I by nature like to resolve things not create conflict so that always makes it a bit rough for me to write. HA! even sometimes I think I'm making Vegeta a bit too complacent...so we'll see if I don't change things around a bit. Apologies! I'm gonna be pretty busy in the next few weeks with things but I promise to try and work on the next Chapter. I'll post an update when I get the first rough draft done so you will know in a few days the final will be released. Otherwise, please forgive my delay on these Chapters. I'm good at brainstorming but trying to think of ways to put on 'paper' what pops up in my head like movie clips is a bit hard. Anyways, I still hope everyone is staying safe and if I can make your days a bit better than I'm happy.


	5. Let the Hunt Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We pick up with Vegeta flying off to fight Cui, and Bulma staying nearby to help the wounded Namekians. After seeing Vegeta fight and kill Cui, Bulma is convinced they need to bring the fight to Frieza's army. Suggesting help from some of the Namekians, they plan a trap for Dodoria and Frieza's men. Vegeta uses his new found power to alert and lure Dodoria and Frieza’s army into their trap. Bulma makes an offering to a giant crab deity to net them Dragon Ball. Vegeta taunts Dodoria and in return Dodoria taunts him with the truth about Vegeta's home planet and his people's demise. Bulma uses the EMP device as well as well placed smoke screen to enable a victory for Namekians against the army. Vegeta kills Dodoria but not before Frieza, back at base, hears of the loss and snaps. Frieza orders Zarbon to hunt them down, issuing a kill order for Vegeta and live capture for Bulma.
> 
> *edit: as of Feb. 18th I have changed up some of the dialog and "distance spotting." I have found out apparently I'm terrible at spacing out distances...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> Hey everyone! Here it is Chapter 5, finally am I right? Lots of fighting and strategy and tension in this Chapter. Hopefully I made it clear cut and interesting for y'all. I also took some liberties with some things but most of this is still trying to follow the canon. So I hope the hardcore fans don't string e up on a cross and burn me! Haha, just kidding...not really.
> 
> I don't know if you guys like Chapter 4 since there were no comments but I guess I'll try to keep plugging away and hope you guys like the new changes. Sorry it's taking me some time to get these Chapters out, but like I said life is happening right now.
> 
> Wanted to just say I do really appreciate those that do leave comments on these chapters as they come out. It really gives me good feedback on how y'all think and what to spend more of my time to focus on in the story. Hope everyone is staying safe and not flipping out with the craziness happening in America right now.
> 
> *edit: I wrote Frieza to have black eyes since it's was hard to tell in the manga and anime what color they are, but after looking more closely they are like pink or purplish. so I'll stick with that. I also changed a bit of the writing about Cui's distance when approaching the village since it wasn't clear as to how Bulma could see them even with the scouter on. Also some minor discrepancies on Bulma pulling things of out thin air...ugh! really need to give a few days before I reread and publish this stuff.
> 
> *Edit, again: So I hate how I change something and it doesn't carry over. I changed the "seer's prophecy to Chilled's warning but I guess it didn't get carried over in the multiple edits before posting so I have to rewrite that again and try to remember what I did. sorry for those that read it before and might be confused. I was meant to be this way from the beginning.

**Previously**

" **Hey there, what's your name? I'm Bulma.** "

The small child lifted his tear stained face, wiping the blood from his cheeks as he timidly replied. " **Dende. A-are you here to h-help us?** "

Bulma smiled warmly as she pulled out her medical kit pill and un-capsulated it. Pulling out a few alcohol wipes, she gently cleaned the child's face and wounds. " **I'll do what I can, but the dark, muscle-y, grumpy guy that just flew off? He's with me, and he's gonna make sure to stop the aliens that did this.** " Dende started to relax as the woman cleaned him up, her hands kind and soothing. His tears falling again to the ground as he glanced down at his fallen brother. " **Hey.** " Bulma tilted his head so the small Namekian looked into her empathetic, deep blue eyes. " **It's gonna be ok. I promise you. Vegeta won't let that bastard get away with this."**

Bulma's smile curled at the corners of her mouth as her thoughts reflected Vegeta's earlier sentiments. ' _He is a Saiyan prince after all, and they ALWAYS keep their word._ '

**Let the Hunt Begin**

Vegeta saw the fight between the few remaining Namekians and Cui rage on. A few holes along with two Namekian bodies, littered the ground below Vegeta as he flew toward the three remaining silhouettes. A tall Namekian was in hand-to-hand combat, barely fighting off Cui, as Vegeta floated down to the ground. Vegeta watched with arms crossed as Cui beat the Namekian down into the earth with bone shattering sounds echoing around them. The sinister smile and laugh that Cui released reached the Saiyan's ears, reminding him of the words that the woman had said earlier.

_" **I won't question you again on how you want to handle these fuckers, so make that bastard pay!** " _

Vegeta's hands fisted painfully as he remembered the woman's face before he left her back with the Namekian child. Her big, beautiful, teary eyes filled with anger and pain pierced Vegeta's hardened heart. Vegeta shook his head to removed the image from his mind as her last warning replaced it.

_" **Take out his scouter immediately. We don't want any information to get back to Frieza that could help him locate Elder Guru.** "_

Vegeta steeled himself as Cui's rage filled crazed eyes met his own. Cui's blood lust shone on his face gleefully as he tossed the mangled body of the Namekian back to the ground. Disgusted with Cui's display of brutish power against those so obviously weaker than himself left Vegeta filled with anger. For once, Vegeta wanted to take his time punishing another in battle that was lower level than him. He wasn't one to prolonged torture or 'play' with someone weaker than himself due to the fact he had been on the other side of such encounters more than he'd like to admit. However, the dishonorable display of Cui's actions and words left Vegeta to rethink this strategy, but only for a moment. 

" **There you are Vegeta! I was wondering how many worthless slugs I had to kill before I ran into you.** " Cui's suspicious glaze flew back to the Saiyan's face. " **Where's that delectable little piece you had with you, hm?** " Cui said as he looked around, eyes darkened by lust.

Clicking his tongue as his lips curled up into a snarl, Vegeta removed one hand from his arm and pointed it like a gun to Cui's scouter. Sending a powerful and precise wave of Ki, Vegeta 'shot' at Cui's scouter blowing it up right on the alien's purple face. 

' _There, that takes care of any rats listening in while I deal with this filth._ ' Vegeta smirked as he thought to himself.  
  
Cui's howl of pained surprise echoed across the barren pockmarked battle field. " **What the fuck! Oh that's it Vegeta!** " Cui snarled back with venom. " **I was going to take my time getting the whereabouts of that woman from you, but now I think I'll beat it out of you quickly before I give you back to Lord Frieza.** " Cui spat out at Vegeta as he took his fighting stance.

" **Ha! I'd love to see you try Cui!** " Vegeta quipped back.

His blood thrummed with the promise of battle as Vegeta's lop-sided, cruel grin showed on his face. He was going to enjoy killing Cui as the memories of the purple alien hovering over Vegeta's own beaten, bloodied body in the past floated through his mind. Vegeta uncrossed his arms and took his own fighting stance.

Cui looked around once again for any sign of the female he saw Vegeta with, his gaze caught the last remaining Namekian fleeing toward the village. Cui had left bodies of the Elder and the children out in the open when he followed the remaining warriors away to fight.

' _That whore must be there! Probably aiding those worthless wretches I left barely alive._ ' Cui thought diabolically to himself as a plan started to form in his head. 

" **My orders were to bring you and the whore back alive. Frieza is very curious as to why, the ever lone wolf Vegeta, would take an interest in a woman for the first time.** " Cui's grin split his face as his eyes met the Saiyan's guarded gaze. " **However, Frieza didn't say I couldn't take my time to enjoy her.** " Cui voiced, making Vegeta's frame tense in response.

" **I've changed my mind, I'll find that bitch first then beat you into a pulp!** " He dashed with blinding speed past a confused Vegeta toward the village. " **You left her unprotected in the village didn't you? How sloppy of you Vegeta.** " Cui taunted as he sped toward where Vegeta left the woman. Vegeta panicked briefly as he remembered the woman still had the radar on her before he remembered that Cui had said he'd been ordered to bring her back unharmed. Still not powered up, Vegeta raced to beat Cui to the village and stop him from getting his hands on the woman.

\-------------------------------Ten minutes ago-------------------------------

Bulma had just finished wiping up the blood from the child's face when she heard a groan to her left. Near one of the smoldering huts, a Namekian body shifted on the ground. Grabbing her medic kit and quickly rushing over, Bulma glanced down at the beaten form of an Elder Namekian. He was badly burned and bleeding from a wound on his chest. The purple blood bubbled and oozed as the Elder struggled to catch his breath.

" **Easy there, I got you. I need you to try and remain still while I work to stop the bleeding.** " Bulma calmly voiced as she rushed to get the antibiotic foam sealant and plug the older Namekian's wound. She looked up to see the child, Dende, shuffling to the Elder's side as he reached out to touch the older Namekian.

" **Oh Elder Tsuno...** " Dende softly murmured as new tears filled his red rimmed eyes. The child's hands went to gently pick up the Elder's head and place it in his lap. The Elder's cries of pain as Bulma filled the wound with the sealant caused Dende's hands to move gently over Tsuno's head in soothing motions. 

Bulma looked up briefly from applying gauze bandages to smile encouragingly at the small Namekian. " **He'll be alright Dende. I'll get you both to Elder Guru until we can find a safer place for you both to wait out this chaos.** " Bulma said kindly.

Finishing the bandages, Bulma pulled out a small injection of morphine and gave it to Elder Tsuno. She tossed the used tube back in her box and packed her kit back up in its capsule. Bulma's scouter beeped at an incoming power level and made her head shoot up to look across to the small Namekian child. She noticed Dende's gaze was looking off in the direction Vegeta had left not more than five to ten minutes ago.

" **Tanissh!** " Dende cried out cheerfully. His hopeful features quickly turned to fear as Dende saw that the young warrior was being followed by the murderous purple alien that attacked their village. Bulma saw the growing form of Cui flying towards them, and bent down to grab the Elder by his shoulders.

" **Quick Dende! Help me with his legs! We need to move him into cover.** " She said hastily. The child nodded and quickly grabbed the Elder's knees as they moved him behind the house and out of line of sight. Bulma propped the Elder against the wall of the house and turned to address the Namekian child.

" **Dende, I need you to stay here and watch over Elder Tsuno. No matter what happens you have to make sure he's safe, can you do that for me?** " Bulma stated as she placed her hands reassuringly on the small child's shoulders. Dende nodded slightly, his face serious as he understood the gravity of their situation.

The sound of feet hitting the ground halted their conversation as the young warrior, Tanissh, finally reached the burned remains of the village. Bulma subtly peeked around the wall of their hiding spot to see the warrior look behind him frantically before rushing into the house directly across from them. Bulma was able to read that Cui was less than three kilometers away with Vegeta hot on his trail with her scouter. Silently fishing out her bike capsule, Bulma waited patiently for a chance to escape with Dende and the wounded Elder. Bulma saw the panicked face of Tanissh in the doorway across from her and met the gaze of the Namekian warrior. Raising her hands, she signaled to the Namekian to stay put and be quiet. The warrior hesitated for a second then nodded as his gaze fell down to her side where Dende was leaning around behind her.

' _Are you alright Dende? Where's Elder Tsuno?_ ' Tanissh asked telepathically.

Dende looked up to the woman as he replied back with his mind. ' _Bulma here treated him and we hid him away for safety._ ' The child's features contorted with sorrow as he shifted his gaze back to Tanissh. ' _Tanissh, about Toronbo. He's...he..._ ' Tears streamed down Dende's face as he thought of his dear brave brother, who shielded him from a deadly blast meant to kill him. The small Namekian latched onto Bulma's jacket unconsciously seeking comfort and drawing her attention.

' _Don't think about it Dende, Toronbo did what he thought he had to to keep you safe. That's all that matters now._ ' Tanissh soothingly replied back telepathically.

Her bike capsule in her left hand, Bulma reached down with her right hand and gently hugged the small child hanging on to her. Using her thumb to wipe away some of his tears, Bulma gave a gentle, reassuring smile as Dende looked up into her eyes. The moment was cut short with the sound of hard, angry footsteps echoing off the buildings.

Cui's infuriated voice boomed as he paced the plaza of the village. " **I know your hiding here, bitch! Come out before I start blasting houses!** " Bulma watched apprehensively as Cui readied a Ki Blast in his hand and aimed it at the house Tanissh was currently hidden in. Bulma was just about to jump out and stop Cui when Vegeta's form dropped down in front of Cui's vision, blocking the Ki ball's path.

Annoyed that things weren't going the way he planned, Cui was losing his patience with the prince. The Ki blast in Cui's hand fizzled out as he stared down the Saiyan in front of him angrily.

" **Tell me what I want Vegeta and I'll go easy on you. Where did you hide your little whore?** " Cui said as his eyes scanned the remains of houses for any sign of the blue-haired woman. " **Don't tell me. Y** **ou're already done with her, are you?** "

Crossing his arms and staring down Cui without looking around for the woman, Vegeta sternly replied. " **She was never here Cui. Admit it. You ran from our battle because you're a coward!** " Vegeta guessed the woman hid in one of the houses when they started to moved toward the village. He'd have to make sure to dispose of Cui before he leveled the whole village.

" **COWARD!?** " Cui's face turned an ugly deep reddish purple as he fumed at the insult. Taking a few deep breathes, Cui was able to manage to get his anger under control and laughed lightly. " **Oh, Vegeta. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to settle the score between us. Now, how about we finally fight like we were meant to instead of all this hide and seek nonsense.** "

" **Hide and seek? HA** **! I wasn't the one running from our battle seconds ago Cui.** " Vegeta laughed as he said. " **However, this is the perfect opportunity to test my new found strength I acquired from my battle on Earth.** **Not to mention the new trick I learned in concealing my power worked like a charm. Prepare yourself Cui!** " Vegeta spit out as he uncrossed his arms.

Cui smirked at Vegeta's words not believing a word of it. The last reading of Vegeta's power he received from the scouter before it blew up was twelve thousand. " **Oh please, the two of us have always been on par with each other. However, mine has always been higher, putting yours to shame.** " Cui said confidently.

" **Imbecile!** " Vegeta barked out. " **My body has been subjected to combat situations you could only dream of! The battle on Earth nearly claimed my life allowing my superior Saiyan genes to multiply my power - doubling it!** " He said smugly.

Cui's face fell slightly at Vegeta's words as the Saiyan widened his stance and proceeded to power up. " **Do you really think I'd be on par with someone content to hide behind Frieza his whole life?!** " Vegeta shouted.

" **N-no! You're lying! You have to be!** " Cui stuttered out as his body tensed. Panic had started to ebb its way through his limbs as he felt the raw power pulse from Vegeta.

" **What's the matter Cui? Finally realized you're outmatched? I think I'm ready to finally settle the score between us.** " Vegeta goaded. Flexing his fingers, Vegeta could feel the Ki just waiting to be released into a powerful blast. 

Cui was shaking visibly now as he could no longer doubt that Vegeta was indeed telling the truth and he was much stronger than before, maybe even strong enough to give Zarbon a challenge. Cui's mind was racing as he thought of ways to get out of this alive. As Vegeta stepped closer to him, Cui thrust his hands out in a gesture to halt Vegeta in his steps.

" **W-wait!** " Cui stuttered out, panicking. " **J-just hear me out okay, Vegeta? I've got the craziest idea!** " Vegeta paused in his steps waiting to hear the purple alien's last request.

Seeing he had his attention, Cui quickly sputtered out his plan. " **W-what do you say we team up? W-we could take on Frieza!** " Cui took a step back as he saw the doubt etched on Vegeta's face at his words. " **I-I mean I don't like the guy, I NEVER liked the guy! I was just following orders, like you!** " Cui rambled out.

" **Grrrr...** " Vegeta growled and took another intimidating step toward Cui. Memories of Cui's twisted face laughing flooded Vegeta's mind as Cui gave blow after vicious blow on Vegeta's body with a diabolical grin on his face while 'just following orders.' Vegeta had never took pleasure in killing the weak, and he sure as hell didn't torture or rape like the rest of the filth of Frieza's army.

Seeing that his tactic wasn't working as well as he would have hoped, Cui switched it up to try and appeal to Vegeta's desire for power. " **Come on, Vegeta! Think! We could have the whole universe to ourselves man! We could work our way up, starting with Dodoria and Zarbon! We'd be unstoppable!** " Cui spat out wildly as Vegeta huffed and took another step closer.

" **Spare me this pathetic display Cui, and scrounge up some dignity before I kill you for your torturous actions. Do you honestly think I would ever team up someone as monstrous as you?** " Vegeta growled out before taking another step and getting within striking range of Cui. Cui was beginning to sweat and feel desperate but he still had one trick up his sleeve.

" **Just trust me! Please Vegeta!** " Cui stuttered out trying to sound as genuine as possible. Vegeta's steps halted as he looked at Cui's conniving face. He knew Cui was up to something. Before Vegeta could make his move, Cui leaned around the prince and a dubious smile lit up his face. " **Well, well! There you are, little whore! 'Bout time you showed up!** " Cui gleefully said.

Vegeta froze as the blood left his face. The woman, she was still in the area and what was worse she was in Cui's sight and unable to move fast enough from an attack with her low Ki. Gritting his teeth, Vegeta swiveled his head to look back.

" **God damn it woman! I thought-** " Vegeta's voice died out as he realized there was nothing behind him but the abandoned houses.

Meanwhile, behind the house, Bulma was starting to realize that this was the last place for her and the injured Namekians to stay. While Cui was stalling for time explaining his offer, she saw an opening to flee, knowing that Cui was going to attack Vegeta with everything he had when given a chance. Regardless if it ended up destroying everything within a thirty meter radius, including them. Hoping against all hope that Cui was thoroughly distracted with Vegeta, Bulma shut off her scouter and un-capsulated her bike. She quickly flicked the switch for her side car attachment and gestured to Dende to help her with the Elder. Grabbing one of the injured Elder's arms around her shoulder, Bulma nodded to his shoulder on the other side.

" **Dende, Help me get him into the seat, we need to go NOW!** " Bulma whispered frantically.

" **U-uh, right!** " The small child said as he rushed over to help slide Elder Tsuno into the side car seat. Bulma gently clamped a hand over the Elder's mouth as his pained groans started to escape his lips.

" **Elder please! You have to be quiet! I'm sorry, I know it hurts.** " She voiced sympathetically. Bulma maneuvered his beaten limbs inside the car gently as she nodded to Dende. " **Do you want to join him or sit with me? You will have to hold on to me very tight, because we will be going really fast.** " Bulma said in a hushed whisper.

Before Dende could answer, Cui's voice thundered over the plaza with devilish glee. Cui had started to charge a Ki blast in one hand and right when Vegeta turned to look back did Cui let it swell to full size.

" **Made ya look!** " Cui shouted out as Vegeta quickly turned back to see the energy blast release and head towards him. The blast would be large enough to tear a large hole through the wall of the nearby abandoned house.

Bulma didn't wait and grabbed the Namekian child to her chest and jumped on the bike and revved it to life. She gunned it as she shouted over the noise. " **HOLD ON!** "

She felt the heat of a body on her back from the warrior Namekian, Tanissh. He had seen from the house the fight about to unfold and jumped on last minute as they all zoomed out of range on Bulma's bike. Bulma slowed down after feeling confident she was out of range, and turned her bike to see Cui floating in the air throwing a barrage of Ki blasts down at the ground where Vegeta once stood. The blasts caused a balloon of energy to billow up like a mushroom cloud before Cui paused in his attack to charge one last devastating overhead blast. Screaming as he tossed it, Cui caused the remaining energy to slam down onto the ground below and explode into heat and light.

' _I really hope he's not in there._ ' Bulma thought hopefully to herself. As the energy dissipated and the smoke on the ground cleared to reveal nothing but holes and dust, Bulma had a sinking feeling in her gut. 

Cui's crazed laughter pierced the air as he floated down to the ground. Looking at the smoldering rocks, he kicked one with the toe of his boot into a gaping hole close to him.

" **I can't believe you actually fell for that old trick!** " Sighing, Cui crossed his arms and smirked at the burning ground. " **Although Frieza said to bring you back alive, I'm sure I can spin it off that your death was an accident! And who knows, I might be able to appease him enough if I bring the little bitch back relatively** ** _unharmed_** **.** " Cui said as he giggled to himself. 

' _C'mon Vegeta! Where are you?_ ' Bulma thought frantically as she hastily turned the scouter back on to scan for power levels in the area. She felt Dende grasp tighter to her jacket while he shook in her lap.

She felt a hand tighten on her shoulder as the Namekian warrior behind her whispered hopelessly. " **No one could survive a blast like that...** "

Bulma clutched Dende closer to her just as the scouter blipped out a power level of twenty-four thousand off to the right side where Cui stood. A mischievous smile curled at her lips as she responded with confidence. " **Vegeta could. You don't know how stubborn the bastard is...** "

Cui was so pleased he was still able to show that no Saiyan filth would get the best of him! " **Fat lotta good all that 'power' did you at the moment of truth, huh!** " Cui gloated.

" **Really?!** " Vegeta's voice floated across the barren field from behind Cui's stunned form. Gaping like a fish out of water, Cui turned his head sharply to see Vegeta standing with his arms crossed with not a scratch on him. His one-sided, cocky smirk plastered on his face as he huffed out. " **So that was what all that talk of 'teaming up' was about then?** " Vegeta laughed grimly and his eyes caught sight of the woman with the Namekians on her bike fifty meters away. He hid the relief he felt and turned his focus back to the terrified Cui. " **I'd have to say Cui, even for you that was a pretty dismal move.** " Vegeta snarked.

" **N-no! T-that can't be! That was my most powerful move!** " Cui said fearfully as he shook in terror. A female voice startled both of them out of their stare down and they turned to look over toward Bulma with the Namekians.

Bulma threw one fist in the air as her other hand still held onto Dende. " **WAHOO! GO VEGETA! TAKE THAT, YOU STUPID EGGPLANT HEAD!** " She shouted cheerfully, she was too happy at seeing Vegeta unscathed to keep silent.

Vegeta sighed internally at the woman's outburst, but he couldn't help the full on grin that split his face. " **The woman's right. If you had half a brain in that puny head of yours, you would have realized my speed had increased as well.** "

" **Gah! But...** " Cui screeched out as he stumbled back.

Vegeta uncrossed his arms and flexed his fingers. " **Which means unfortunately for you, that little stunt you just pulled only succeeded in pissing me off!** " Vegeta stated.

Cui was full on panicking as he turned to run away. His steps faltered as his whole body shook in fear, causing the alien to face plant into the ground. Vegeta turned to watch with disgust written on his face as Cui looked back at him in terror. Quickly, Cui turned his head to look forward and caught sight of the blue-haired woman smugly staring back at him. Cui's face turned sinister as he powered up and dashed toward her. Bulma's smile fell as she realized Cui was desperate enough to do something stupid. Wrapping both arms tightly around the Namekian child in her lap, Bulma shouted out. 

" **Vegeta!?** " She voiced worriedly. The heat on her back cooled as the Namekian fled and Bulma had flashbacks at being left to defend herself in the face of danger. 

Vegeta had seen the look in Cui's eyes when he turned to face the woman and clicked his tongue, annoyed. It seems Cui didn't know when to quit, and his antics were getting to be less amusing and more dangerous. Rushing past Cui, Vegeta phased in front of him, halting Cui in his tracks. Laughing at his surprised face, Vegeta reeled back his fist.

" **Where do you think you're going Cui?** " Vegeta asked teasingly. Cui's startled yelp turned to one of anguish as Vegeta punched through the armor at his stomach. Vegeta hit so hard the armor bubbled up and shattered around Cui's abdomen. Throwing the alien backwards in the air, Vegeta pointed his index and middle fingers like a gun at Cui.

" **You're finished!** " Vegeta shouted. Channeling his Ki into his fingers, Vegeta blasted Cui with the energy and caused the alien's body to bloat and explode in the air.

Bulma covered Dende's eyes with her hand as she turned to face away from the blasted, burnt bits of Cui's remains falling from the sky. " **Oh gross...** " She mumbled to herself. As smoldering chunks landed nearby on the ground, Bulma removed her hand from Dende's face and looked up to see Vegeta smugly float down to them. She gave him a relieved smile as her shoulders slumped.

" **Thanks Vegeta. Although, did you _have_ to turn him into a human firework?**" Bulma said jokingly as she grimaced, eyeing a bit of charred flesh less than a meter from her bike.

Vegeta tilted his head questioningly and raised an eyebrow at her. " **Firework?** " He voiced quizzically. 

" **Yeah, it's colored gunpowder in a wrapping we, on Earth, light to explode in the sky creating colors and shapes. We usually use it to celebrate things...** " Bulma started to explain but trailed off at the blank look Vegeta was giving her. " **Nevermind. It doesn't matter. I need to get these guys to Elder Guru's.** " She said gently as she patted Dende's back and gestured to the side car that held Elder Tsuno with her head.

Vegeta growled as he caught the eyes of the Namekian child and glanced back up to the woman. " **Woman, you said we needed to take out Frieza's scouters! You're wasting my time with this nonsense!** " He snapped back.

Bulma huffed as she rolled her eyes at the Saiyan. " **Well I'm sorry _princess_ , but this elder is on the brink of death and Dende here needs someone to help escort him to safety. I have no idea where Chicken Little went.**" She said. Looking around behind her, she saw Tanissh had moved thirty meters away and was eyeing Vegeta warily.

Growling with indignation, Vegeta stomped closer. " **What did you call me woman?! What the HELL is a chicken little?!** " Vegeta barked out.

Sighing heavily, Bulma opted to take off her scouter and gently tossed it to Vegeta instead of answering. Vegeta caught the scouter with one hand without breaking it, and glared at the woman for ignoring him. " **Here, I heard Zarbon trying to get a hold of Dodoria, see if you can figure out a way to set up a place for a trap. I got to convince the scaredy-cat over there to take Elder Tsuno and Dende to Guru's if you don't want us to do it.** " Bulma stated matter-of-factly as she popped the kick stand on her bike.

Grunting, Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the woman as he put on the scouter. Staring daggers at Bulma, Vegeta crossed his arms and listened to the conversation that transpired between Zarbon and Dodoria as the woman waved over the Namekian 'warrior.'

" **Hey, you over there! Can you help me out?** " Bulma shouted at the Namekian. Tanissh hesitated for a second before quickly walking over to Bulma's side and silently waited. " **Hi! Do you know the way to Great Elder Guru's place?** " She asked.

Tanissh nodded and eyed Dende, who had hopped off the bike to stand beside the sidecar. " **Oh good! Could you take Elder Tsuno and Dende there? Elder Moori will know what to do, and if he's not there Nail should be able to help.** " Bulma said calmly. Tanissh nodded again and proceeded, with Bulma's help, to lift Elder Tsuno out of the sidecar and cradled him. Dende hovered nearby and tugged on Bulma's jacket to gain her attention. Bending down to be face level, Bulma turned to the small child and gave him an encouraging smile.

" **It's alright Dende, Elder Guru will know what to do to keep you safe.** " Bulma said kindly.

" **W-will I see you again? I want to help you if I can...** " the timid child muttered.

Touched by his compassionate nature, Bulma side-hugged Dende gently and patted his back in soothing circles. " **Of course! I gave Elder Moori a way to communicate with me. If you need to contact me for anything just ask him to use it and I'll answer. Alright?** " Bulma replied as she pulled back to see the relieved nod of the Namekian child. " **After we take care of those bad guys, we might need your help summoning Porunga. Do you think you could do that?** " Bulma asked.

Dende thought for a moment before looking back at the blue haired woman that had been kind in saving both the elder and himself. " **I-I could ask Elder Guru to teach me the words. T** **hat is, i** **f he deems it acceptable.** " Dende stated.

Grinning wide, Bulma gave the small Namekian a quick hug as she responded. " **That would be awesome, Dende! We could use the help since neither Vegeta nor I know Namekian. Call me with the communicator when you find out what Elder Guru says. Okay?** "

Dende blushed lightly and walked over to Tanissh's side as he nodded lightly. Bulma stood up and waved them off, shouting after them. " **S** **tay safe!** " Both Namekians shot up in the air and headed off in the direction of Elder Guru's base, their figures retreating against the green sky.

Turning to face Vegeta, Bulma took in his stiff posture and snarling features. His crossed arms had one of his hands tapping his fingers against his bicep in agitation as he glared at the ground. Stepping closer to the irate Saiyan, Bulma waited till he looked up to meet her eyes before she spoke softly. " **Bad news?** "

" **Tsk, let's just say we have their attention after my showdown with Cui.** " Vegeta said through gritted teeth. He stopped tapping his fingers and moved them to rub the ache in his brow between his eyes.

" **Yikes!** " Bulma breathed out. " **I guess they picked up your power level when you aced Cui.** " Bulma said. Seeing him tense and barely containing his ire, Bulma decided she needed to lighten the mood. She gently nudged his elbow to gain his attention. Vegeta paused in his movements to look up through his hand with one eyebrow cocked. Bulma made a gun aiming at the sky with her hand and gave him a Cheshire grin. " **By the way, nice shooting there Hotshot!** " She said with a coy wink as she mimed blowing smoke from the tip of her fingers.

Groaning at her flirtatious actions, Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to block out her playful image. He took a deep breath before he passed a hand down his face in attempt to wipe away the traitorous grin threatening the corners of his mouth. " **Woman...** " Vegeta warned half-heartedly.

Bulma let her hand fall back to her side, and sighed in defeat as she shook her head lightly. " **Okay. Okay! I was just trying to release some tension.** " She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to comfort herself and nodded toward the Saiyan. " **What's the plan?** " Bulma asked.

Vegeta's shoulders relaxed slightly as he watched the woman take a more serious mood. " **So far, Dodoria has been taking a few soldiers to round up any Namekians they can get their hands on to _question_ them on the location of any Dragon Balls.**" Vegeta said. " **It s** **eems like,** **before he died,** **one of the Namekians gave them a very vague idea of one at a small village in the north, near a lake fed by a waterfall.** " Vegeta paused for a brief moment and snarled as he listened to the voices talk on the scouter.

Bulma shifted her feet anxiously as she spoke up. " **Lemme guess. The dipshits are bad mouthing you again? What is it, rule number three?** " Bulma's lips quirked up as she joked.

Vegeta barked out a harsh laugh as his eyes glinted with dubious delight. " **Rule one AND three actually. They don't believe I killed Cui, and Dodoria believes the energy reading of my power level must be a malfunction.** " Vegeta said with a one-sided smirk.

" **What? Why? My scouter read around twenty-four thousand.** " Bulma asked, confused. Vegeta grinned at her like a cat that ate the canary .

" **Exactly! I'm stronger than both Dodoria and Zarbon. Dodoria recently clocked in at twenty-two thousand and Zarbon just barely reaches twenty-three thousand.** " Vegeta gloated.

Bulma nodded her head as she grinned devilishly at the realization. " **So what you're saying is rather than pissing their pants, they're opting for delusion by saying the scouters are faulty? Man, talk about fragile egos!** " Bulma jested. Vegeta chuckled darkly at the woman's snark.

" **Well, We could use that to our advantage.** " Bulma stated. She raised her hand to her chin and rubbed it in thought. " **We could s** **et up an ambush with some of the strongest Namekians when they go after the Dragon Ball. I could set up some remote triggered smoke grenades to provide cover for the Namekians to take out Frieza's men. Frieza's army will be fighting blind when I use the EMP to take out their scouters, as well.** " Bulma rattled off.

" **Woman, we do not need the Namekian's help. I'm strong enough to take out anyone in Frieza's army by myself**." Vegeta huffed.

Bulma's hand stilled as she looked up to meet Vegeta's gaze. " **I'm not saying you aren't, but even _you_ can't take out all of Frieza's army AND deal with Dodoria or Zarbon at the same time.**" Bulma gently stated. Vegeta grumbled as he acknowledged the truth of her words. " **The real problem here is, how can we guarantee that we can get Dodoria and all of Frieza's men to be there. I mean, we can set the perfect trap, but how are we going to convince them all to come?** " Bulma pondered. " **Not to mention, if Zarbon isn't there, we'll have to deal with him later...** " She said sighing heavily.

Vegeta thought for a moment before a sinister grin spread across his features. " **We bait them with my power signature to the exact spot we want. When they arrive, we'll be sitting there, with a Dragon Ball waiting for them. Then w** **e tell them the truth, that you can track the Dragon Balls and we will beat them to every single one.** " Vegeta said, his eyes glinted gleefully at the prospect of battle. " **Frieza ordered your capture and with my power being higher than either of them, Zarbon will order Dodoria to come at us with everything.** " He said.

Bulma sighed and used her hand to push back some of her hair that flew in front of her face. It was a risky move, but if it worked, one that would definitely pay off big time. Steeling herself for the task ahead, Bulma nodded lightly and held out her hand to the Saiyan, palm up. " **Alright. I don't like the idea of using ourselves as bait, but odds are it's the most likely way to succeed. Hand me the scouter and I'll contact Elder Moori to see if I can get him to send us some backup.** " She said.

Vegeta grunted as he reached up and took the scouter off his head, handing it to her. He watched in silence as she put the scouter on and pressed some buttons on the ear piece. With her other hand, Bulma reached in her breast pocket and pulled out the Dragon Radar and handed it to Vegeta. 

" **Can you see if you can track down the Dragon Ball they are talking about?** " She asked. Vegeta gave her a curt nod as he turned on the radar and fiddled with the knob the way she showed him. Turning her focus back to her scouter, Bulma made an attempt to call Elder Moori. A light buzzing sound flickered in her ear three times before the Elder's puzzled voice filtered through.

" **Uh, h-hello? Is this on?** " Elder Moori stammered.

" **Elder Moori? It's Bulma Briefs, the Earth woman you met earlier?** " Bulma said.

" **Ah! Yes, hello. Is everything alright?** " The Elder questioned.

" **Actually, I was hoping you might be able to help us. We have a plan to set up a trap for Frieza's men, but we could use some strong warriors to help take out the grunts while Vegeta focuses on the Commander. You see, I can provide smoke cover, as well as, take out their scanning devices.** " Bulma said before being interrupted.

" **Of course! We could send eight of our strongest warriors to aid you. If you can provide the smoke cover, they can take out at least forty men in minutes with no casualties. Genius!** " Elder Moori said excitedly.

" **That's the plan, Elder.** " Bulma said optimistically as she shifted her weight. " **By the way Elder, we heard they have information on a location of a Dragon Ball and are heading to it. It's somewhere north of Elder Gurus, near a small village bordered by a lake that is fed by a giant waterfall. Do you know it?** " She asked.

" **I-I do.** " Bulma could hear the fear in the Elder's voice as he spoke. " **It's where a small group of our best healers fled to when this all started. It's not more than eighty-five kilometers directly north of Great Elder Guru's house. One of the Elders must have thrown a Dragon Ball into the lake to be protected by Kani-san. She's a giant female crab that guards the lake and protects the village with her children.** " Elder Moori explained.

Bulma sighed as she rubbed her temples in anguish. ' _Why can't anything ever be easy!'_ She thought bitterly to herself. " **Wonderful! A Dragon Ball protected by a giant female crab deity and all her children. I suppose you couldn't just have someone tell her we are the good guys?** " Bulma joked absent-mindedly and ran her hands down the sides of her face. 

Elder Moori's voice spoke. " **No, unfortunately, but we do have a ceremonial garb that was worn by the chosen caretaker of the lake so that Kani-san wouldn't mistake them and attack. I shall ask them to leave it in a house for you when I warn them, as well as, leave an offering you could give to appease her.** "

Bulma laughed humorlessly as she realized she was going to be the one to give the offering to the giant crab god. " **Dress in fancy robes and give an offering to a giant angry crab to gain a Dragon Ball. Sounds like a typical day for me, thanks Elder.** " She joked. Looking up she saw Vegeta had paused in his search to watch her with his eyebrows raised. " **One last thing Elder Moori. We met Elder Tsuno and a small child named Dende being attacked by one of Frieza's men. The elder was badly injured and I did what I could for him, but we had a young Namekian warrior take them to Elder Guru's for safety.** " Bulma said.

" **Yes, I just received word of it. We have a group already on their way to pick them up. However, young Dende says he wants to stay with Elder Guru and provide help. Thank you Bulma. Elder Tsuno will live because of you.** " The grateful voice of Elder Moori left Bulma feeling relieved, and her chest puffed out slightly at the Elder's praise.

" **Don't mention it, I'm just glad I could help. Listen, we have to get going now. Tell your warriors we'll meet up at the village soon. I need to pick up some things from our base before we head out.** " Bulma told the Elder.

" **Understood. Good luck.** " Elder Moori quipped back before ending the call. Bulma clicked the scouter to enter stand by mode as she stepped up to Vegeta's side.

Looking up to meet his smug face with one eyebrow raised, Vegeta's amused voice washed over her. " **Giant crab god?** " He asked mockingly.

" **Don't start...** " Bulma warned as she shut her eyes and shivered slightly at thought of the giant female crab she would have to encounter. Hearing his soft chuckle near her ear, Bulma fought down a deep blush and opened her eyes to look at the scouter in his hands. " **Elder Moori said the village Dodoria and Zarbon were talking about is around eighty-five kilometers north of Great Elder Gurus**." She said.

Vegeta zeroed in on a Dragon Ball that had appeared twenty kilometers north of their base. " **Hn, The Namekians must be relocating the Dragon Balls after Dodoria's interrogation attempts. It was not there when we set up camp.** " Vegeta said testily.

Bulma lightly bit her thumbnail in thought as she responded pensively. " **It would make sense to move them if they know he's capturing people to gain information. We need to hurry.** " Walking over to her bike, Bulma straddled it and flipped her kickstand up. " **We should head back to the base so I can grab the smoke grenades, and then make our way to the village.** " She said quickly.

Vegeta was lost in thought as he stood looking at the radar in his hands. He could leave right now with it and collect all the Dragon Balls without the woman or anyone else to interfere. He knew he was strong enough to defeat any of the Namekians guarding them. If Zarbon or Dodoria tried to stop him, he was fairly confident he could defeat them as well. Vegeta looked up to see Bulma staring back at him, her face expressing her bewilderment at his lack of movement.

" **Vegeta? What's wrong?** " She asked concernedly. Vegeta gripped the Dragon radar tighter, careful not to cause damage, and stared sternly at the the woman. Bulma's eyes flitted to the radar in his hands then back to the Saiyan's guarded face. She leaned back on her bike and rested her hands casually at her sides. " **Look. I know you want to get the Dragon balls right now, but what happens when Frieza decides he's had enough of waiting for others to do his dirty work?** " she asked pointedly.

Vegeta thought objectively as her words sunk in. If Frieza decided to chase after him to retrieve the Dragon Balls, Vegeta wouldn't be able to stop the tyrant from taking them, or the radar, and get his wish. With the scouters still up, it wouldn't take long before Frieza could track Vegeta down. He took a deep breath and walked over to the woman. Vegeta knew she was right and that they had to disable the scouters before attempting to move quickly to gather the Dragon Balls. He was used to having to be patient. Vegeta had waited years of his life to exact his revenge against Frieza. However, being so close to achieving his goal and still having to wait longer was making the Saiyan restless and testy.

Bulma watched the Saiyan begrudgingly step towards her and mount the bike. She turned her head to smile reassuringly at Vegeta over her shoulder. " **I promise as soon as I disable the scouters, we will hunt down those Dragon Balls.** " She said.

Vegeta grunted and placed his free hand above her waist to hold on. Bulma turned her head back around and started the engine of the bike. Angling it toward their base, she drove it back to the cliff side caves. Bulma slowed upon reaching the opening of their cave and kicked the kickstand down to prop up her bike. Vegeta removed his hand from her hip as she swung her leg over the bike hurriedly and yelled over her shoulder.

" **It will only take me a minute. Be right back!** " She shouted as she ran into the cave mouth and through the Capsule Corp. front door.

Slapping on the lights, she jogged over to her backpack near the leg of the kitchen table and opened it looking for her weapons capsule box. Taking a minute to fish it out, Bulma checked the capsules till she found one labeled " _Special Defenses._ " She quickly popped it open on the table and counted six remote smoke grenades, their controller, five motion sensor land mines, and four of her own special flash grenades that equaled Krillian's Solar Flare attack. Humming in satisfaction she quickly re-capsuled them and stuck the box into a pouch in her utility belt. Still not done she searched for her aquatic gear box and grabbed that as well. Zipping up the backpack, Bulma stood up and hastily stuffed the aquatic capsule box in another utility pouch as she fast walked out of the kitchen. Slapping her hand on the light switch, she jogged out the door and back to the impatiently waiting Saiyan.

" **Got it! Thanks for waiting.** " Bulma said airily as she swung herself back on the bike.

" **Hn, we need to move. I felt Dodoria and Frieza's soldiers en route to the Dragon Ball in the north.** " Vegeta grumbled as he uncrossed his arms and grabbed a hold of her waist again.

" **Shit, really?** " She exclaimed as she quickly turned the scouter on from stand-by mode. Wasting no time, Bulma revved the engine and sped off towards the small village in the north. Less than ten minutes later, they could see the village tucked against a large lake fed by a multi-tiered waterfall. Bulma pulled to a halt just as a buzzing call on her scouter came through. Bulma and Vegeta dismounted the bike and she capsuled it back up before answering the call.

" **Hello?** " She said.

" **Bulma? It's Elder Moori here. I just thought I would tell you that we evacuated the village and left the garb and offering for you in the house closest to the lake.** " The elder said.

" **Thanks Elder, I'll get right on that. Anything I should know before I go head first into a den of giant angry crabs?** " She voiced jokingly.

" **Ah, yes. Kani-san likes a fresh heart from a Ferocisaurus and considers anyone that brings her one a worthy warrior and guardian. So you will have to carry it's heart and offer it to her on the altar. I'd suggest you coat your arms in its blood as well and wear nothing but the ceremonial garb.** " Elder Moori explained.

Sighing heavily, Bulma walked past a puzzled Vegeta and toward the house that held the mentioned items. " **You're really trying to make this impossible for me aren't you Elder? Alright, let me see if I got this right. Dress in nothing but scraps of ceremonial cloth, carry a fresh large dinosaur heart while bathed in its blood, and offer it to an angry giant mama crab god? Did I miss anything?** " She said tiredly.

As she reached the doorway to the house, Bulma swore she could hear light chuckling from Vegeta behind her as she passed through into the house.

" **No, that's about it. Kani-san should have the Dragon Ball and hand it in exchange for the heart.** " The elder's upbeat voice grated over the communicator.

Moving to the back room of the house, Bulma spied a table with said 'ceremonial garb' and a large pail filled with blood and the heart. Wincing at the grizzly mess, Bulma sighed one last time before she unclipped her belt and got undressed. " **Thanks Elder, I'll get ready then. We are at the village now, any idea when the warriors will arrive?** " Bulma asked as she pulled the skin tight armor down her hips and onto the floor.

" **They left just now and should be there in a few minutes. Kotorabo is leading them. I have told them to wait for your signal before entering battle, but you might want to explain what will happen.** " The elder replied.

Bulma had shuffled into the large pants and gathered as much material as she could at her waist before tying the sides together with the string. The baggy styled pants had large slits on each side at the hip tracing down the thigh to stop just above her knee. It left much of her waist, hips, and thighs open and in view. Bulma struggled to get the top of her armor off over her head with the scouter still attached as she mumble back to the elder.

" **Will do Elder.** " She managed over grunts as she finally got the clothing off.

" **Good luck Bulma, and may the gods be with you.** " Elder Moori spoke before cutting the line of communication.

" **Thanks, I'm sure I'll need it.** " Bulma whispered to herself as she grabbed a knee length vest. Slipping it on, Bulma realized it was not going to cover her chest fully and would show plenty of cleavage. She pulled it across her breasts and it just barely covered her to be deemed 'decent.' Bulma snatched the cloth belt and wrapped it high around her waist and made a knot to the side. Taking a moment to readjust herself, Bulma noticed not only did she sport a large amount of cleavage and stomach in this outfit, but quiet a bit of her side was on display at the low cut arm holes. " **Kami, I've worn dresses that cover me more than this!** " She said jokingly out loud to herself. As she grabbed a necklace with shells and pearls, Bulma heard heavy footsteps from the next room.

" **Woman! What is taking so long? I could have just killed the stupid beast in the time it has taken you to-** " Vegeta spat out aggravatingly before he stopped dead in the doorway. The words died in his throat as she turned to him, slipping the necklace on. Vegeta stood there and openly gawked at her as she removed her scouter.

" **Kami Vegeta! Can't a girl get dressed in peace?! Thank Kami you didn't storm in sooner.** " Bulma huffed out and tossed the scouter toward him, knocking him out of his stupor as he barely caught the device. Bulma capsuled her jacket, boots, armor and placed them in her utility belt which she slung over one shoulder. " **Or was that your plan all along?** " She asked teasingly as she watched his cheeks pinking subtly.

" **Vulgar woman!** " Vegeta ground out before turning to leave.

" **Vegeta wait!** " Bending to dip her hands in the pail and coat them in the blood, Bulma stifled a gag and looked up to see him watching her. " **Could you carry this out for me? I'm suppose to offer Kani-san a Ferocisaurus heart but with the blood in the pail, it's too heavy for me.** " Bulma choked out, she tried to still her stomach as she coated her forearms fully in the dinosaur's blood.

Vegeta was struggling to hear her words as his blood thrummed in his ears at the sight of her. She looked like a Saiyan's wet dream, freshly bathed in the blood of her enemies after a victorious battle. Not to mention all her voluptuous curves were on display with pale, unmarred, milky skin that looked silky-soft to the touch. Although her hair and eyes were cerulean, Vegeta found he preferred them being his favorite color instead of typical Saiyan black.

' _My gods, she's beautiful..._ ' Vegeta couldn't help but thinking, before he mentally slapped himself and shoved everything back down in that little box inside of him.

Shifting his eyes to the pail, he walked over and easily lifted it one-handed. Bulma followed Vegeta barefoot as he moved to walk outside. Bulma stepped past him to the offering slab, shrugging off her belt from her shoulder onto the ground near it. Vegeta placed the pail down near her, and crossed his arms. Bending down, Bulma dug into the pail and grimaced as she hefted the large dinosaur heart out of the bucket and shakily stepped up to the altar. Her necklace was clinking in the wind with her movements as she placed the heart on the slab with a sigh of relief. Bulma and Vegeta watched in silence as two large claws started to rise out of the churning water ten meters away. Bulma watched with shaking fists as a crab the size of the main building at Capsule Corp. clambered out of the water and waded its way toward her.

Raising her arms and gathering all her courage, Bulma spoke out to the giant crab. " **Oh Great Kani-san! I have come bearing you a gift in exchange for the Dragon Ball!** " Reaching down, Bulma grunted as she lifted the heart up above her head, blood trailed down her arms and splattered onto her chest. " **Please take this Ferocisaurus' heart as an offering!** " She said.

The giant crab halted directly in front of her and shifted its beady, black eyes down at the woman holding the heart. For a moment everything was still, even the birds and bugs dared not to make a sound. Bulma held her breath as she bowed her head to avoid looking directly at the creature who could snap her in two without any effort. Fleetingly, Bulma thought ironically that Vegeta could just as well break her in two, yet she was more afraid of this creature than of the Saiyan. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the heart lifted from her grasp. Looking up she saw Kani-san had grabbed it with a smaller claw. Reaching up with another smaller claw, she pulled from her back a large, orange, polished stone the size of a beach ball. The orange sphere, with three red stars on it, glinted in the sunlight and Bulma realized it was a Dragon ball.

' _Holy cow! Look at the size of that thing! If all of them are that big, I'm going to need to find a way to store them..._ ' Bulma's thoughts spun briefly before coming back to the present as the crab placed the Dragon Ball gently in her hands.

Bowing her head again, Bulma spoke to the crab god. " **Thank you Great Kani-san for your protection of the Dragon Ball.** " The giant crab gurgled before turning and stuffing the heart into her open mouth as she slinked back into the lake. Stepping back carefully, Bulma turned around and released a deep sigh of relief. She looked up to see Vegeta walk towards her with child-like wickedness etched on his face. Smiling back lightly, Bulma glanced down at the Dragon Ball she held in her hands. She could feel the warm glow and low hum of energy emanating from it as it seemed to shift like liquid inside. Vegeta's shadow cast over her and the Dragon Ball as he reached her side. Bulma handed the giant ball over to his waiting hands and glanced up to meet his dark eyes.

" **One down, six more to go. I didn't expect it to be so big. I'll have to think of a better way to carry or store them.** " She stated plainly.

Vegeta lifted the sphere up to reflect the light better and hummed in response. " **Hn, so this is a Dragon Ball. I do feel some sort of power in it, although it's small.** " Bulma nodded and noticed small bloodied handprints on the ball. She scrunched her nose up at the reminder and looked down to see her arms and chest covered in the dinosaurs blood. It was starting to dry, getting sticky, and she really didn't want to remember the last time she was covered in this much blood.

" **Ugh! I really need to wash this off...** " Bulma grumped softly.

Vegeta heard her disgruntled muttering and looked up to see her chest splattered beautifully in blood, the red liquid slowly made it's way down her toned stomach. He watched in disappointment as Bulma crouched down to wash the blood from her hands, arms, and chest. Dipping one end of her belt in water, Bulma extended her hands out to grab the Dragon Ball from Vegeta.

" **Here, let me wash the blood off. Otherwise it could slip out of our grip later if we're not careful.** " She said. Vegeta wordlessly handed her the orb and Bulma wiped it down, making the ball glint and shine more. She dried the Dragon Ball off with the dry end of her belt and straightened to stand beside Vegeta. " **There, all clean and looking good.** " Bulma popped her hip to one side and held out the Dragon Ball to him while giving the Saiyan a sly wink. " **And the Dragon Ball isn't looking to bad either.** " She said coyly.

Vegeta clicked his tongue at her and averted his eyes from her tempting form. He attempted to school his features to reveal nothing of just how she really got under his skin. Vegeta grabbed the orb with one hand and shoved the scouter back into her now empty hand. He propped the ball tight under his arm and gave the woman his best unimpressed look. Putting the scouter back on her face, Bulma rolled her eyes at the Saiyan's moodiness and turned the scouter back on from stand-by.

" **Geez, it's called a joke. Do you always take things so seriously?** " She grumbled and searched for nearby power levels. Stopping to grab her utility belt, Bulma dug out her " _Special Defenses_ " capsule and un-capsulated it to pick out four of the six remote smoke grenades and their controller. Vegeta watched her silently capsule the rest, strap on her belt, and fiddle with the settings on the grenades.

" **The Namekians should be here shortly, but I wanted to ask where you think we should set up the kill zone?** " She said as she looked up to match his gaze. Bulma paused in her adjustments to lick her pointer finger and hold it up to the air to determine the angle of the wind. It was blowing lightly from the southwest. Bulma figured if she placed the grenades thirty meters back southwest from the village, then they would have cover all the way.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her movements and turned to look at the barren stretch of land behind them. " **We should utilize the village houses for the Namekians to hide while we bait out Dodoria and the soldiers. Meaning the battle should take place here.** " Vegeta pointed out twenty meters of land before the village and turned around to see the woman standing next to him with the smoke grenades in her arms. Nodding, Bulma turned to show Vegeta a remote smoke grenade and spoke.

" **My thoughts exactly! We have four of these babies to play with, and they cover about twenty meters with wind in a five meter radius. So if we want this whole area covered we should stagger them, but it will take about five seconds** **once they ignite** **before we get full coverage. The wind is coming from the southwest, so over on this side would be ideal.** " Bulma pointed to a small outcropping of shrubs and rocks southwest of them. Vegeta looked up to where she pointed and smirked, if this worked out right they could wipe out the whole of Frieza's army and Dodoria in under five minutes. " **I'll need to dig out a bit of the ground to place them but this controller allows us to trigger them all simultaneously.** " She explained as she carefully made her way across the field still barefoot. Vegeta watched her curiously as she hopped from side to side, her necklace clanging as she moved to avoid rocks and jagged patches.

" **Woman, what the _hell_ are you doing?**" He asked sternly with a slight teasing tone. He saw her pull back her right foot quickly with a pained gasp before she bent to check to see if the rock she stepped on broke the skin.

" **Ack! Damn! What does it look like? I'm trying to set up the grenades but they forgot to give me damn shoes with this stupid outfit! Ouch, well looks like** **it didn't break the skin.** " Bulma huffed as she rubbed the bottom of her foot against her shin to ease the pain she felt.

She was startled as she felt his warm body next to her, his free arm slinked around her barely concealed stomach. He pulled her up close to his body as her feet left the ground, and Bulma uttered a small squeak of embarrassment. Vegeta tried to keep his mind off the warm, silky-soft smoothness of her skin that his ungloved hand came into contact with.

' _Why the **hell** did I forget my gloves!'_ Vegeta berated himself mentally.

He did his best to not look down for what awaited him would be more than an eye full of almost bare, lush cleavage pressed flush against his chest armor. Vegeta quickly zipped them over to the outcropping she had pointed out and gently put her down on the soft blue grass. His hand lingered, against his will, across the soft curve of her hip.

" **O-oh! Thank you Vegeta...** " Bulma breathed out, her flushed face met his guarded eyes. He averted his eyes and softly grunted, yet he remained close to her.

Bulma's mind was in a whirlwind of emotion that the Saiyan's touch had caused in her. The calloused, warm palms of his hands and the extreme gentleness of his fingertips played like an echo in her mind. The shrill, short, beep of her scouter in her ear caused everything to come to a screeching halt. It had alerted her to the power levels of the Namekian warriors less than ten kilometers out. Shaking her head, Bulma took a deep breath and looked up to see Vegeta watching her from the corner of his eye.

" **We'll need to get moving and place these quickly, the Namekians are almost here.** " She said handing him two of the grenades. Vegeta reluctantly took the canisters in his right hand and readjusted the Dragon Ball under his left arm. Bulma bent down and scraped at the ground below to make a small indent for the canister to sit in standing up. Without looking up to see if he was watching, Bulma explained the process.

" **The force they will emit in expelling the gas can cause them to tip over so they will need to be placed in a small hole and braced. However, they will pump out two minutes worth of smoke that will cover this whole field if we space them right.** " Bulma rattled off as she looked up to gauge the barren ground they had before the village. Looking to her left, she stood up and paced out enough space from the first canister and bent down to place the second one.

Vegeta, still standing near her first smoke grenade, glanced down to see how she set it into the ground. Curled wires sprouted from the top near a small hole, and he thought that must be where the smoke would come from. Shifting his view back to the woman, he saw her stand back up and clap the dust off her hands.

" **Those two should go further down to the right about twenty meters apart.** " She spoke loudly and nodded her head past him to his other side.

Vegeta growled low and was about to tell the woman to go do it herself, but before he could Bulma looked down at the ground and gingerly made her way back to him. Watching her hop around jagged rocks and rough ground on her barefeet, Vegeta swallowed his biting remark and decided to place the other two smoke canisters. Holding one smoke grenade in his left hand with the Dragon Ball under his arm, Vegeta set one down and curled his fist and punched the ground lightly to make a dent for it. Hop-floating another twenty meters down, Vegeta did the same process for the last smoke grenade.

By the time Bulma reached the first canister she placed down, Vegeta had finished and stepped up next to her side. Glancing up with a grateful smile, Bulma met the Saiyan's gaze and spoke softly. " **Oh! Thanks Vegeta. I should probably get my boots back on now that we are done with Kani-san...** " Her voice drifted off as a group of Namekians touched down next to them. Bulma unconsciously moved closer to Vegeta's side for safety as a tall, muscular Namekian stepped up to address her.

" **Bulma? My name is Kotorabo, Elder Moori sent us.** " The lead warrior said. Bulma's posture relaxed as she nodded at Kotorabo.

" **Oh good, glad you guys made it.** " She said nonchalantly as she pulled out the capsule that had her armor and popped it open on the ground to reveal her jacket, armor and boots. " **We just finished setting up the devices that will provide your cover. Until you see the smoke screen cover the field, I think your men should hide in the houses for the ambush.** " Bulma stated as she bent down to put her boots back on. Grabbing her EMP device from her jacket's pocket, Bulma re-capsulated the rest and stood up to a stunned Namekian staring straight back at her.

" **What?** " She questioned and looked between the Namekian and Vegeta in confusion.

Vegeta smirked and turned to walk back to the village plaza where he would bait Dodoria to attack him. " **You should take your own advice and hide as well, woman.** " He shouted over his shoulder. Bulma quickly ran to catch up, necklaces jingling, and huffed next to him.

" **The hell I will! I'm not leaving your side! I'm not looking to be turned into beef jerky by some wayward soldier with a blaster. Nuh-uh! No thank you!** " She said determinedly as she latched onto his right bicep with her hands. Vegeta sighed through his nose at her defiance and turned his head to glare down at her. She stubbornly glared right back at him.

" **Besides, I'm suppose to be seen and be part of the bait right? No point in hiding and making our trap unbelievable.** " Bulma voiced as they both halted and turned to face each other.

Vegeta growled back and raised his right hand to rub the ache on his brow between his eyes. " **Fine!** " He snapped. " **But you stay behind me and don't interfere. Understand? I can't afford to be distracted in battle by your inability to follow goddamned orders and getting yourself killed.** " Vegeta ground out. Removing his hand, Vegeta narrowed his eyes to make sure he got his point across to her.

Giving her best impression of a soldiers salute, Bulma grinned widely and chirped out " **Yes, sir!** " Vegeta rolled his eyes and snorted at her attempts. Bulma walked behind Vegeta and looked quickly around to see the Namekians had taken their positions in the houses. Looking back up to catch Vegeta's profile, Bulma softly spoke. " **I think everything is in position. Ready when you are.** "

As if right on cue, Bulma's scouter beeped out many Kis of different power levels, one being around twenty-two thousand. Vegeta grunted as he raised his own power to alert them of his presence. Bulma gently grabbed his right bi-cep again and whispered to the Saiyan from behind.

" **There's only one high level, around twenty-two thousand. The rest are lower, between one to six thousand maybe but there are a lot of them.** " She said as her voice tried to remain steady.

" **Dodoria!** " Vegeta replied with a demonic grin stretching across his face. " **About time I settled the score with that fat, pudgy blob.** " His hands fisted as his blood thrummed with excitement at the promise of battle.

Dodoria's voice blared over the scouter, catching both of their attention. " **Zarbon! I just caught another power level near the village with the supposed Dragon Ball! It's twenty-four thousand! That can't be him can it? it's a glitch right?** " Dodoria's voice cracked at the end, his confidence faltering.

" **I see it too** " Zarbon replied. " **It might be him, and if it is you have more than enough men to take him out and grab the woman he has with him. If she truly knows something about the Dragon Balls or how to locate them, Frieza wants her captured alive at all costs. Do I make myself clear Dodoria?** " Zarbon's voice crackled over the scouter with its authoritative tone.

" **Crystal! I'll call back the moment I have her and fly her back immediately myself.** " Dodoria quipped before the line went silent.

Bulma gently palmed the two remote devices in her hands as she waited impatiently for the enemy to come. She was startled a few minutes later by the rough, low rumble that Vegeta made with his words. " **Here they come. Be ready, woman!** "

Bulma pulled the scouter off her face and turned it off. Stuffing it between the layers of fabric in the belt around her waist, she secured it before looking up to see an army of at least forty flying towards them. They were being lead by a grotesque, spikey, hot pink, blob of a man. Bulma suppressed a shiver that ran down her spine as she huddled closer to Vegeta's back for comfort.

" **Where's all the confidence you had earlier, woman? Afraid already?** " Vegeta's snarky voice spoke above her head. Shifting her gaze to look at him, she noticed he was glancing at her through the side of his eye. His diabolical smirk never leaving his smug face. Puffing her cheeks out slightly, Bulma glared back defiantly at the Saiyan and snapped back.

" **Only thing I'm afraid of is if that gross, pink, blob person's looks are contagious! Kami is that a man or a woman?** " She ground out questioningly as her eyes shifted back to Dodoria.

Vegeta barked out a loud boisterous laugh as he grinned like a predator at the men and their commander as they neared. " **Although he claims to be male, he's aIways following Frieza like a bitch in heat to the point that I don't think even he knows anymore.** " He softly teased back. Bulma grimaced and squinted at the man as he landed and walked to them.

" **Good Kami, I'd hate to see what the women look like then...** " she grumbled. Vegeta's chest rumbled with another chuckle as his attention was brought to the man ten meters in front of him.

" **What's so funny Vegeta? Surprised to see us?** " Dodoria barked out.

" **As a matter of fact, we've been waiting for you Dodoria. Took your sweet-ass time. Must be getting slow with all that weight you've been putting on.** " Vegeta quipped back.

Dodoria's eyes narrowed at Vegeta's comment and his lips curled up into a menacing snarl. His beady eyes briefly glanced at the orange sphere under Vegeta's left arm and his snarl morphed into a nefarious smile. " **I see you saved us the trouble and brought us the Dragon Ball. Smart move, but you already pissed Lord Frieza off enough to ensure a week of torture. If you survive his discipline that is...** " Dodoria's voice oozed delighted malice with his words.

Vegeta ignored the mans words as he turned his head slightly toward the woman and whispered. " **Initiate your plan woman, he can only gloat for so long.** " Giving a curt nod, Bulma hit the button to start the release of the smoke grenades and held down the button to charge the EMP. Dodoria's gaze moved over to the blue haired female behind Vegeta and his features became predatorial.

" **My, my! Is this the famous whore Cui was talking about? She is pretty I suppose for humanoid tastes, but a bit too thin and plain for me.** " Dodoria joked as he stepped closer.

Vegeta growled warningly back in response as the woman bristled behind him. Her fingers dug into the Saiyan's arm as she leaned around and shouted back at Dodoria.

" **PLAIN?! Come say that to my face you fat tub of lard! If you so much as touch me with your grubby hands I'll shove that spikey head of yours so far up your own ass you'll puncture your liver!** " Bulma spat out venomously, her eyes alight with blue fire. Vegeta couldn't tamper down the chuckle that escaped his lips at the woman's words nor the shocked look on Dodoria's face.

" **I...Wha? Who do you think you are to say that to me!** " The pink alien managed to stuttered out before he was interrupted by the woman's voice again. Bulma brought up her free hand and pointed her fingers like a gun to Dodoria.

" **I'm Bulma Fucking Briefs, that's who!** " She said with a smug smile gracing her lips as Dodoria's hand went to his scouter to check her power level. Vegeta could hear a small irritating buzzing noise coming from the device in her other hand. He realized it was building to a frequency that probably only his Saiyan ears could hear.

" **Annnnnd boom!** " She said.

Vegeta watched in amusement as Bulma 'clicked' her finger gun right before the EMP fired off. The wave rippled forward and fried every scouter and blaster Frieza's men were holding, starting with Dodoria's scouter. The hot pink alien yelped in surprise and pain as it exploded right on his head causing his hand to comfort the seared flesh of his face. More startled echoes of pain followed behind him from the rank of his men.

" **NOW KOTORABO!** " She shouted as the white smoke that swept over the field grew thick. Startled grunts and cries pierced through the smoke as faint silhouettes of men fighting flickered across the surface. Dodoria quickly turned to see his army covered by the smoke screen.

" **What are you waiting for?! Attack!** " He screamed. Waiting for any response or blast of a gun to cut through the smog, yet he was only met with silence.

Bulma tucked the devices into her belt next to her scouter and gently grabbed the Dragon Ball from under Vegeta's arm. Vegeta relinquished the orb and turned to face the woman staring back at him with a victorious grin. " **He's all yours Hotshot!** " Bulma said with a wink and pulled the Dragon Ball closer to her chest.

" **Finally!** " Vegeta replied with eager anticipation as he brought up his hands to crack each one soon followed by a crack in his neck.

He turned to face the now sweating and nervous looking Dodoria and snarled sinisterly. Dodoria raised his hand to blast his Ki at Vegeta in fear, not even considering he might hit the woman he was supposed to bring back alive. In the blink of an eye, Vegeta phased in front of Dodoria and grabbed one of the alien's arms pulling it up in the air with a quick, vicious gesture. The energy blast flew into the air, narrowly missing Vegeta's head, and exploded in the sky. Dodoria's startled shout of pain turn to one of anger as his other arm swung at Vegeta's floating form. Vegeta quickly dodged the slow attack and launched himself above the pink alien's shoulder and behind his back. Still holding on to one of Dodoria's arms, Vegeta grabbed the other and pulled it behind the struggling alien.

" **Haha! You're getting slower Dodoria! Or is it just because you have gotten too fat and lazy by forcing everyone else to do everything for you, hm?** " Vegeta taunted as he pushed his feet into the middle of Dodoria's back and started to slowly pull with his hands at the alien's arms. " **Meanwhile, I have gotten stronger than you could possibly imagine! Surpassing you and Zarbon.** " Vegeta voiced gleefully.

Dodoria's struggled grunts became more labored as he became more desperate. Vegeta was moments away from ripping his arms clean off unless he thought of something quick to halt the Saiyan's actions and buy him some time. The idea hit him like a lighting bolt as Dodoria gasped out " **W-wait! Vegeta, wait a second! I have something to tell you!** "

Vegeta didn't respond to his plea but halted his actions on the pink alien's arms, still holding them behind his back. Taking Vegeta's brief pause as a good sign to continue, Dodoria hastily spat out his plan. " **It's about your planet, Vegeta, and it's people. About the truth of what really happened to them!** "

" **What about them?** " Vegeta asked cautiously.

Dodoria turned his head to shake it slightly over his aching shoulders. " **Let me go! I'll tell you what really happened, what Frieza did, but only if you let me go.** " Dodoria's frantic voice grated.

Vegeta battled with himself for a minute before closing his eyes and sighing in defeat. Reluctantly he released his grip on Dodoria's arms and watched as the pink alien rushed out of his grasp and to safety a few meters away. Rubbing his sore arms and rotating his shoulders, Dodoria laughed tersely. " **So there is a brain in there afterall...** " Dodoria bit out gruffly.

" **Watch it Dodoria, I can still end your miserable life! Tell me about my planet, and my people! What did Frieza do?** " Vegeta growled out threateningly.

" **Alright, calm down! Frieza told you that Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, and that's true. However, his story of the planet being crushed by a meteor was a lie!** " Dodoria explained with an evil smile.

" **What are you talking about?** " Vegeta questioned.

Dodoria laughed and continued to explain. " **Oh you simple minded prince! Frieza knew one or even two Saiyans couldn't harm him or cause him trouble. However, a whole army of them, let alone a planet could rise up and end his reign.** "

" **Why would he be afraid of an army of Saiyans if they worked for him?** " Bulma's higher voice asked from behind Vegeta. The Saiyan prince ground his teeth, not liking where this was going.

Dodoria shifted his gaze to the blue haired woman behind Vegeta and barred his teeth in a malicious smile. " **Because the Saiyan were enslaved and forced to work for Frieza as Eradicators. Frieza noticed more and more Saiyan babies were being born with highly developed combat skills and higher power levels.** "

" **An infant army that would grow to overthrow Frieza's enslavement...** " Bulma pointed out. Vegeta clenched his fists in anger as Dodoria started to laugh as his feet left the ground.

" **Exactly! So Frieza had a decision to make! Either wait and see what would happen when they grew older, or make the only sensible choice with the only race that could ever grow powerful enough to oppose him.** " Dodoria cackled as he said.

" **Oh Kami...** " Bulma gasped " **He wiped out the whole planet and it's people, but why?** " She shakily asked as her hand went to over her mouth in disbelief.

" **My bet is on his Grandfather's warning.** " Vegeta's voice barked out, barely containing his anger. He eyed Dodoria down and smirked at the stunned look on Dododria's face. " **Oh yes, I know about that little, well kept secret! Sometime before the Saiyans fell under King Cold's rule, their ancestor Chilled, a space pirate, desperately gave the Cold dynasty a prophecy of their death by the hands of a powerful warrior race called 'Saiyans' with the ability to change into a 'super' form.** " Vegeta explained bitterly.

" **Chilled was half-dead and delusional after his fight against an unknown warrior** **! No one in the Cold family believes in it, they say it was just the desperate ramblings of a fool!** " Dodoria fisted his hands and barked out in reply.

" **Even so, it was enough for him to justify wiping out an entire race and planet. Fucking hell this Frieza is a psychopath!** " Bulma bit out, shaking her head at the display of pure evil at the tyrant's actions.

Vegeta grunted his agreement as he moved into a fighting stance. " **So that's it then? Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta and it's people? With his own hands?** "

" **Except for you, prince of the Saiyans. Oh, he had special plans for you!** " Dodoria huffed as he said. " **He wanted to add you to his little 'collection' of soldiers he conquered and forced into servitude. Of course he would always make sure you would never grow into anything powerful if he maintained his control and kept up his 'training exercises.'** " Dodoria said. " **So what do you think Vegeta! It's our private little inside joke, the Prince of all Saiyans working for the man that killed his entire race and planet and didn't even know it!** " He cackled evilly at the irony of it all.

Vegeta had heard enough, while Dodoria was distracted he phased up behind the pink alien. " **I'm just disappointed in not figuring it out** **sooner** **myself.** " Vegeta's voice was void of emotion as he charged up his Galick gun and quickly fired it at Dodoria before he could even turn around and face the prince.

The blast pierced through the hot pink alien's chest as Dodoria's eyes bugged out. Dodoria spat out blood and slumped over and braced one of his arms against Vegeta's shoulder pad as he struggled to breathe through the blood filling his lungs. Charging his Ki to fill his fist, Vegeta shrugged off Dodoria's hand and held up the energy ball to the alien's face.

" **I would never had wasted my entire life doing Frieza's dirty work if I would have known.** " Vegeta said venomously as he released the ball of Ki and blasted Dodoria in the face, killing him instantly.

Vegeta watched with satisfaction as Dodoria's headless body slammed to the ground below him. Closing his eyes, Vegeta gave himself a minute to enjoy the peace and accomplishment that washed over him at destroying one more of his lifelong torturers. Vegeta's feet touched the ground as he landed and he opened his eyes to see the woman staring back at him. Her face set in grim determination as she watched him walk up to her side. Her eyes never left his as Vegeta reached out his hand to gently remove the Dragon Ball from her shaking hands.

' _She's afraid? Of all the time to be scared of me, she choses now?_ ' Vegeta thought and was shocked at how he felt slightly disappointed about it.

Bulma looked down at her shaking hands and clenched them to try and stop them. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and let it out. " **I don't think I'll every get used to the killing, but I know it's what had to be done.** " She whispered softly.

Vegeta shifted his weight to one side before answering. " **You do not have to be afraid of me, woman. I will not harm you as per our agreement...** " He managed out before her eyes flashed open with blue fire and took his breath away.

 **"Afraid?!** " She barked out at him. Growling lightly, Bulma gritted her teeth as her fists shook. " **You think I'm afraid?! No it's quite the opposite. I'm fucking mad as hell! Who the FUCK does Frieza think he is to get to decide if a WHOLE FUCKING PLANET of people get to live or die? Some sort of GOD?** " Bulma spat out aggressively as her ire grew at the injustice of it all. " **I don't FUCKING think so! We are going to show that pompous, child-like ASS that he can't get away with shit like that!** " She said angrily as her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands.

Vegeta stood in awe of the fury of the woman before him. Her Ki was flickering wildly and if it wasn't at such a low level he would be concerned she would explode mountains with it. Her eyes blazed with a heated flame, glinting like two sapphires. Vegeta's Saiyan instincts called out in response to her passion, and the poor prince was at a loss at what to do. It was the first time the Prince of Saiyans had felt attraction and desire for anyone, let alone this weak Earth woman. Standing there in all her beauty, the delicious curves of her body discreetly on display along with the flush of her cheeks and spark of her eyes from her anger, Vegeta was struck with the disturbing thought.

' _She's as close to a Saiyan female as I will ever get to see in my life._ ' The sobering thought had Vegeta frowning slightly.

Ignoring Vegeta's gaze, Bulma dug out her scouter and powered it on as she slapped it on her face. Crossing her arms, Bulma waited till the familiar voice of Zarbon called Dodoria's name over and over, demanding an update. She let loose a deep growl that even had Vegeta's hair on his neck stand up, although for an entirely different reason than intimidation.

" **Motherfucker's dead Zar! Your move, ass-wipe!** " She ground out knowing full well they couldn't hear her but not caring anyways.

' _Gods, she's perfect._ ' Vegeta's hormone bogged mind quipped before he physically slapped his face with his hand in an attempt to rid himself of such shameful thoughts. ' _For gods SAKE, get a grip on yourself Vegeta!'_ He berated himself, but before he could stop it his mind teased back in Nappa's voice.

' _Oh you'll get a grip of yourself later all right! Finally have something worthy of it too._ ' Vegeta grit his teeth hard as he pressed his thumb and index finger hard into his eyes to push the image out of his brain before it took root. ' _Goddamn it Nappa!_ _'_

" **Blasted** **woman is going to be the death of me.** " He muttered under his breath.

\--------------------------------------------------Meanwhile-----------------------------------------------------

At Frieza's ship, Zarbon was waiting patiently for the events to unfold and Dodoria to finally obtain a Dragon Ball. Lord Frieza wanted an update in five minutes and Zarbon had been observing the army from the ships scouters. He had a feeling of dread when he saw the steady reading of 'Vegeta's Ki' of twenty-four thousand, but Dodoria had an army of at least forty men with scouters and blasters. Vegeta always worked alone, so to hear from Cui that he had a woman with him surprised Zarbon. He listened as Dodoria and Vegeta taunted each other, and that Dodoria mentioned Vegeta had a Dragon Ball in his grasp.

" **So maybe the woman can find the Dragon Balls. Interesting...** " Zarbon mused.

He heard Dodoria shout out demanding to know who the woman was, and Zarbon strained to hear her response. Unable to make it out, he flinched back at the loud screeching sound coming from the ship's sound system. Ripping off his own scouter, Zarbon cussed under his breath and quickly looked to the ship's scouter to find the power levels of Frieza's men dropping like flies. Zarbon saw eight unknown power levels ranging from ten to fifteen thousand easily dispensing the army of forty.

" **No, no no no! Dodoria! what the hell is happening!** " Zarbon's anger filled voice flooded the room.

Zarbon watched in horror as one by one the men's Ki flickered out as Dodoria and Vegeta's levels stayed in close combat. Zarbon grit his teeth as the sweat started to form on his face. Lord Frieza was not going to be happy knowing he lost close to an entire platoon of men with nothing to show for it. Then Dodoria's power level flickered out next to Vegeta's, and Zarbon started to full out panic.

" **Dodoria?! Answer me this second and tell me what's going on!** " Zarbon's desperate voice shook as he shouted.

Silence was his only answer and before he could try again, a cold shiver slid up his spine as the hair on the back of his neck raised.

" **L-Lord Frieza, I-I was just about to come inform you of the situation.** " Zarbon stuttered out nervously, not even bothering to turn around and face the lizard tyrant.

" **Oh? Were you really? All good news I hope Zarbon, for I'm quickly running out of patience in waiting for my Dragon Balls.** " The cold, knife-like voice spoke directly behind Zarbon's right shoulder.

Zarbon gulped softly and steeled himself for his Lord's tantrum that was sure to follow. " **Unfortunately my Lord, it seems as if Vegeta has...allies. He managed to take out our platoon and I cannot get a hold of Commander Dodoria.** " Zarbon said.

The room temperature seemed to hit sub-zero levels as Frieza's rage grew. His dead-like, pink tinged irises bore into the back of Zarbon's head. Zarbon knew he needed to act fast or his neck would be next on the line. " **Commander Dodoria, report at once! Lord Frieza demands to know the situation with the Dragon Balls.** " Zarbon hastily said as he messed with the ship's controls to get a more accurate reading of the power levels that remained. Vegeta's twenty-four thousand still blazed with the eight unknown levels close by, and Zarbon couldn't help the slight flinch at the icy fingers that grasped painfully hard at his right shoulder.

" **Zarbon, am I meant to presume that the level displayed there is Vegeta's and he, with a few measly low level warriors, were able to kill off my army as well as Dodoria in less than four minutes?** " Frieza coolly spat out.

" **I-it would seem s-so my Lord. It looks as if Cui was right and Vegeta is using the woman to track the Dragon Balls down before we can acquire them.** " Zarbon stated as calmly as possible.

" **Stupid filthy fucking monkey! Try and prevent me from achieving my destiny, will you?** " Frieza hissed out with venom, and shifted his shark-like eyes to match Zarbon's wary gaze. " **General Zarbon! It seems we have a _pest_ problem in need of your attention. I want you to hunt that monkey prince down and eliminate him! Use whatever methods you like but I want him GONE, and bring the woman back alive for questioning. You have twenty hours before I call Ginyu and his men to _relieve_ you of your duties, am I understood?**" Frieza's cold voice grated over Zarbon's brain like needles and he couldn't suppress a shiver at the implication of his words. Frieza's hand gripped tighter on Zarbon's shoulder, his long black nails close to piercing the blueish tinged alien's skin.

" **Perfectly Lord Frieza! You can count on me, it will be done!** " Zarbon replied with an over embellished salute. Frieza removed his claw-like fingers and waved him off, as he turned to exit the room he spoke over his shoulder.

" **Oh and Zarbon, do NOT fail me.** " Frieza said menacingly as his eyes narrowed in warning. As the lizard tyrant left the room, Zarbon only nodded in agreement and hoped his luck would hold out. Walking down the corridor, Frieza smiled evilly as he thought of all the methods he could use to make the woman talk.

" **Let the hunt begin...** " His voice barked out with cruel laughter following him all the way back to his throne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins! In more ways than one, dun Dun DUN!!!
> 
> OMG finally a Chapter! I know, I know! 'Bout damn time, am I right? Sorry it took so long to pop this out, I had computer troubles last week and had to wait for a new laptop. A lot of RL things popped up in my life, including my cousin and sister-in-law catching Covid. So I really am sorry to everyone that this took so long but I wasn't just fupping around not doing it. Anyways, the next Chapter will spotlight Zarbon's first fight with Vegeta and show casing what Bulma can really bring to the table proving she's not helpless or worthless. As always I would love to hear any of your comments or thoughts on the chapter as they really help to light my creative fire and encourage me to push through. Hope you all are trying to remain safe and sound during these confusing times and that my silly little story allows for that minor glimpse of happiness and joy in this dreary world for now.
> 
> Also, Bonus points for those that get the TFS jokes I put in there! I can't help that I love their rendition of Frieza, Vegeta, Nappa, and...well just about everyone.


	6. Never Underestimate A Clever Woman Part 1&2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle with Dodoria and Frieza's army, we find out Bulma has been poisoned. After Vegeta helps rid Bulma of the toxin, both decide to rest and eat back at the base. Some internal realizations happen for each of them as they learn to communicate. They set out to track down the Dragon Balls and run into Zarbon. The first fight occurs between Vegeta and Zarbon and it looks like Vegeta will win. However, Zarbon reveals he can transform becoming stronger and faster, and Vegeta gets baited into letting Zarbon unleash his true form. Vegeta realizes he could lose a Dragon Ball or Bulma to Zarbon and tries to flee with them. Zarbon chases them down, shooting them out of the air. Vegeta ends up in a losing battle to defend Bulma and the Dragon Ball. As Vegeta is about to lose, Bulma thinks fast and shows why you should never underestimate a clever woman. She saves Vegeta and uses a way to distract Zarbon before hiding underwater in a lake nearby. Vegeta begins to understand not only is Bulma important to achieving his goal, she is an ally he can trust. They manage to elude Zarbon and decide to head back to base to recover and acquire first aid for the wounded prince.  
> *Updated with both parts as of 3/7/2021*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> This is probably the first Chapter I'm looking forward to writing because this all started because of the Zarbon fight in this chapter. However, I had so much planned and wrote so much for this I decided to break it into two parts. I literally have had so much going on in my life that I have had little to no time to knock this out. I struggled to write this with the sudden sadness I felt, but I finally was able to push through it finally. Hopefully it's not bad and everyone enjoys it as much as it eventually was to write for me. Thank you to those that stick it out with me, and continue to check up on updates and read the new chapters. Especially those that leave me nice little notes that help encourage me to write the next chapter as soon as inspiration strikes. 
> 
> I wanted to give everyone a heads up that I have made some of my own thoughts or ideas on Vegeta's and Bulma's background stories, and why they would behave the way they do. Since as much as I love some of the characters Mr. Toriyama made, he's not real great at identifying why people act or would behave certain ways due to experiences, history, or trauma. Anyways, so I hope you are willing to give me a little creative licensing for their history, mostly Vegeta's, since it's a bit spotty anyways. If not you have been warned, and I understand if you want to stop reading from here on out. Thank you for at least sticking with it this far if you do.
> 
> I had a dream about what would happen after I read vegetapsycho's AU Namek short comic and doodles (link here: https://vegetapsycho.tumblr.com/tagged/my_art ) and it started this whole damn idea of AU story line with Vegeta and Bulma becoming allies/friends on Namek. Then it became a catalyst to more for 3 year gap and other filler as I just had fun planning my own version of how events would unfold based off my own story of Namek. As I start writing this I want to thank those that commented on chapter 4, and continue to comment because I really love to hear your input and what you take away from the story. I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record but it really does make my day to hear from any of you guys. I guess that's my reward other than seeing my creation on 'paper' and come to life, to see everyone who enjoys it and loves it for the same if not similar ways that I love making it.

**Previously **

" **Zarbon, am I meant to presume that the level displayed there is Vegeta's and he, with a few measly low level warriors, were able to kill off my army as well as Dodoria in less than four minutes?** " Frieza coolly spat out.

" **I-it would seem s-so my Lord. It looks as if Cui was right and Vegeta is using the woman to track the Dragon Balls down before we can acquire them.** " Zarbon stated as calmly as possible.

" **Stupid filthy fucking monkey! Try and prevent me from achieving my destiny, will you?** " Frieza hissed out with venom, and shifted his shark-like eyes to match Zarbon's wary gaze. " **General Zarbon! It seems we have a _pest_ problem in need of your attention. I want you to hunt that monkey prince down and eliminate him! Use whatever methods you like but I want him GONE, and bring the woman back alive for questioning. You have twenty hours before I call Ginyu and his men to _relieve_ you of your duties, am I understood?**" Frieza's cold voice grated over Zarbon's brain like needles and he couldn't suppress a shiver at the implication of his words. Frieza's hand gripped tighter on Zarbon's shoulder, his long black claws close to piercing the blueish tinged alien's skin.

" **Perfectly Lord Frieza! You can count on me, it will be done!** " Zarbon replied with an over embellished salute. Frieza removed his claws and waved him off, as he turned to exit the room he spoke over his shoulder.

" **Oh and Zarbon, do NOT fail me.** " Frieza said menacingly as his eyes narrowed in warning. As the lizard tyrant left the room, Zarbon only nodded in agreement and hoped his luck would hold out. Walking down the corridor Frieza smiled evilly as he thought of all the methods he could use in making the woman talk.

" **Let the hunt begin...** " His voice barked out with cruel laughter following him all the way back to his throne.

**Never Underestimate A Clever Woman**

**Part 1**

Vegeta was busy trying to get a grip on his wayward mind when the eight Namekian warriors lead by Kotorabo strolled up to the Saiyan prince. Looking worriedly between themselves as the Saiyan muttered under his breath and rubbed his face vigorously with one hand, Kotorabo cleared his throat loudly. Vegeta's head shot up to see them gaze at him warily as if he was a rabid beast, and Vegeta couldn't help but agree mentally that he felt very close to it.

" **What?!** " He snapped back in response, his eyes bore into Kotorabo.

Shocked by his curt, hostile response Kotorabo hesitated for a brief moment before answering calmly. " **We have dealt with the platoon of Frieza's men, they won't be getting up again. We wanted to know if Bulma had need of us for anything else, otherwise we would like to return to the people who need protection.** "

Vegeta snarled and bared one side of his canines. " **How should I know! Ask her your dammed self.** " He said, glaring at the Namekian.

Kotorabo shifted his weight as he eyed Bulma's profile hesitantly, Vegeta's eyes followed to see the woman looking madder than a death hornet after having its home destroyed. Vegeta clicked his tongue in aggravation and shifted his gaze back to the wary Namekian. Huffing out an angry growl, Vegeta faced the woman and stepped close to her side once again.

" **Woman...** " He ground out. Bulma just put one hand to her lips with a soft " **Hush** " while the other pressed the scouter closer to her ear. Stunned by her gesture to shut up, Vegeta blinked back before his face changed to one of barely contained fury.

" **You do NOT tell the Prince of Saiyans to hus-** " Vegeta started to fume before her soft, delicate fingers pressed gently against his lips in a firm attempt to still his ranting. Vegeta's body grew rigid as he held his breath at the contact, his mind short-circuited as the taste of her skin briefly reached his tongue. His wide-eyed gaze refused to blink as Vegeta watched the woman turn to him with worry filled eyes.

" **I'm trying to hear what Frieza's saying! Something about calling in someone if Zarbon fails to eliminate you within a time limit. A Gunyu? Ginju? Damn it, he left...** " She huffed as her voice drifted off. Her mention of the lizard's name shocked his mind back into focus. His muscles tensed at her attempt to figure out the name of the man who would be called for reinforcement. Vegeta raised his free hand to pull her fingers away from his mouth and spoke grimly.

" **Ginyu. You mean to tell me Frieza will call Ginyu if Zarbon fails to kill me. How long?** " His deceptively calm voice said as his hot breath brushed across her fingers.

Bulma's fingers curled instinctively around the Saiyan's hand as she tried to hide them from his hot breath. It was her turn to be shocked by his actions and the serious, unguarded stare he gave her. Blinking back in a daze, her cheeks pinked with the intimacy in their simple actions.

" **I-I don't kn-know. Twenty something hours? Maybe more, maybe less? You were talking so I couldn't hear everything...** " She stuttered loudly at the beginning but as she progressed her voice grew quiet and breathy. She knew there was some kind of magnetic pull between them. She had been trying to ignore and deny it since she first stepped into his space pod.

Vegeta closed his eyes as he breathed her scent in, dropping his hand that held the woman's fingers. Reluctantly, Bulma withdrew her hand from his grasp and observed his tensed features. Bulma stomped down hard on her own budding feelings that Vegeta was dredging up in her, compartmentalizing them to be analyzed at another time. However, she couldn't ignore neither the electric undercurrent nor the shivers she got every time they came in contact with one another.

' _And there's still Yamcha. I mean yeah, I broke up with his cheating ass, but we were still together_ _, well sorta off and on,_ _for over 10 years! I mean can't just throw that away over his drunk groping and kissing another woman...can I?_ ' Bulma thought to herself as she struggled to half-heartedly defend her only relationship with a man who never treated her like anything but a trophy.

Bulma bit her bottom lip in confusion as she battled with her mind, not noticing the Saiyan in front of her had opened his dark eyes and was observing her carefully. Coming to his own conclusion, Vegeta huffed out in resignation and ran a hand through his flame like hair. His sigh caught Bulma's attention and she shifted her blue eyes to look back at his face.

" **We're running out of time! We need to get moving now, regardless if we failed to take out all the scouters and get caught. If Frieza calls The Ginyu Force and we DON'T have the Dragon Balls to wish for my immortality...** " Vegeta's voice cut out as he shook his head as if to deny saying that they could lose everything. His arm tightened unconsciously around the Dragon Ball still propped under his arm.

" **Do you think we could get close enough to Frieza's ship without being detected? I could use my EMP to take out his Comms link and scanners if-** " Bulma tried to explain hopefully before Vegeta's stern and forceful voice cut her off.

" **NO!** " His eyes bore into hers as his tone left no room for argument. " **Absolutely not! You would be caught and the Dragon Ball radar would be in their hands.** " Vegeta pointed out.

Trying again with a little more forcefulness, Bulma snapped back softly. " **You can keep it on you if you are so concerned! I just need to be within twenty, no thirty meters of the communications room to disable-** "

" **I said _no_ , woman...**" Vegeta's voice cut in low and deadly cold. " **Not only would you be giving Frieza exactly what he wants, but you forget he would likely torture you for hours just for fun...** " Vegeta stepped close to her, his eyes betrayed the concern in his hardened face. " **You've been too sheltered on your peaceful planet to know the horrors that would await you.** " He whispered his warning.

Bulma couldn't suppress her embittered laugh fast enough, and her gaze flicked up to meet his confused one. " **Oh you'd be surprised Mr. Know-It-All prince.** " Her eyes, dulled with the horrid memories of her past, found her hands as she clasped them together to stop their nervous twitching. She barely whispered out as her mind struggled to put her nightmares back in the part of her mind she rarely ever sought. " **Five hours can feel like an eternity...** "

Vegeta's mind flared in unfathomable outrage at the implication of her words. Something, or someone, in the past had hurt her - badly - and the Saiyan prince was at a loss to his unexpected ire. He had just assumed because Earth was not warring, or known to the rest of the universe that they would have only experienced peace. That because the woman was smart, rich, and well-known, her family was powerful enough to protect her.

' _Maybe because of her family's power she was targeted..._ ' Vegeta thought darkly and his fists clenched as his Saiyan instincts howled out to pulverize whoever was responsible into a pile of blood and broken bones.

The loud sound of throat clearing to get their attention snapped both Bulma and Vegeta out of their odious thoughts. Both looked up to see Kotorabo coughing lightly into his fist again as he shifted his feet awkwardly.

" **Yes?** " Bulma said as she regained herself first, Vegeta rubbed his thumb and index finger between his eyes as he struggled to lock his sudden case of protectiveness back in his Pandora's box.

" **Miss Bulma, We were just wondering if there was anything more you needed of us. Otherwise, we would like to head back to protect our people.** " Kotorabo stated patiently.

" **Oh! Yes! Of course, you're free to go guys. Nice work by the way, and tell Elder Moori thank you and to keep in touch if he needs me.** " Bulma rattled off quickly as she took the Namekian's hand to shake it.

Kotorabo's puzzled face at her gesture had Vegeta smirking to himself, as the woman waved the Namekians off and they launched back into the air. Turning around to face him, Bulma sighed as she lifted her hand to pull off her scouter and set it on standby. " **Zarbon will be out hunting so we need to be careful until we've dealt with him or his scouter**." Bulma said with a weary voice.

Her foot still ached in pain and she was feeling suddenly tired and drained. Vegeta stood silently as he observed her sluggish movements as she shoved the scouter into her utility belt. Bulma continued to dig through clumsily before she found and un-capsuled her armor and jacket. Fishing out the Dragon radar, Bulma capsuled the gear again and turned on the device.

" **Okay, so the next Dragon Ball is more than sixty kilometers north. That's in the direction Dodoria and Frieza's army came from, so I guess it's safe to say that's where Frieza's ship is.** " She said as she shuffled next to the Saiyan and leaned up against his side to show him the screen. Vegeta hummed in response as he twisted the top knob to zoom out their view. Bulma struggled to stand on her own and she shook her head to clear the light-headed feeling she was getting. " **I-I think we should still head back to base. Th-these Dragon Balls are huge and I need a way to store them if we co-collect more...** " Bulma muttered as she swayed and rested heavily against Vegeta's side, her free hand coming up to rub her eyes. Her vision was blurring, she was seeing double, her head was pounding, and she was struggling to catch her breath.

Vegeta looked down to see her clutching on to his side as he was now holding her up fully. " **Woman, what the...** " He asked before looking to see her struggle to look at him, her pupils were heavily dilated and her face was flushed red.

" **Ve-geta, I th-think I was...poison-** " She struggled to voice out as her breath came in gasps. Her body slumped to hit the ground before the Saiyan caught it and crouched to have her sit upright against him.

" **Shit!** " He hissed out as he set the Dragon Ball under his arm on the ground next to him. " **Woman, What the HELL!** **You have something for this I hope?** " He ground out as he unbuckled her belt.

" **Med-ic box,** **oxy-gen mas-** " She struggled out, her breathing was shallow and raspy. Vegeta tore through the pouches quickly and found the capsule marked as her medical kit. Clicking the top, he popped it open and dug through the kit and quickly found the capsule labeled " _Oxygen_ _R_ _espirator._ " Vegeta popped it open to reveal a mask and portable concentrator.

Vegeta shifted his gaze to look at the woman, her face was now a worryingly tint of blueish-purple that was spreading down her throat. He deftly slipped the mask over the woman's face and pushed the power button. Vegeta impatiently waited as the machine slowly supplied her with pure oxygen. As the oxygen flooded her struggling lungs, Bulma nodded slightly to reassure the Saiyan next to her.

" **Tha-nks.** **Now** , **poison te-st...** " Vegeta silently turned back to fumble through the kit and found a pack of strips along with a blood taking device. Looking up to see her face, he held the kit up and she nodded subtly. The Saiyan opened the sealed package and readied the device as Bulma clumsily slid her hand up into his lap. Vegeta raised his eyebrow in question as she struggled to voice out the next instructions.

" **Prick my f** **inger... for blood...then use test strip...it will tell...us the type of poison** " She breathed out in a quiet murmur and Vegeta strained to hear her. The Saiyan swiftly grabbed her index finger and pricked it with the device, getting the blood sample. He quickly swiped it on the strip and watched as the strip turned orange. A tear slid down Bulma's face as she gasped out " **neu-ro-toxin...thank Kami it's not...something worse.** " Her head slumped on his shoulder in relief as she took in deep oxygenated breaths.

 **"Look for...capsule labeled...nano-dial-ysis.** " Bulma breathed out as she muttered softly to him. Vegeta grunted and searched for the capsule in the medical box. After finding it and clicking it open in front of them, Bulma shifted to sit up straighter.

The Nanobot technology was still new and in beginning phases of trials, but Bulma guessed now was a better time than ever to test her patent out. It would filter out toxins or foreign substances from the body if it had a baseline to take from. Pointing to the wrist-band device, Bulma had the Saiyan hand it to her and placed it near her wrist. Her shaking hands fumbled with the clasps before his hands helped her and snapped the device on. She weakly smiled up at him through her mask and with her hand had him press down the needle injectors.

Wincing slightly at the pain, she huffed through her mask. " **Hate that part...** " she said softly as she looked up into Vegeta's serious face. " **Press the green button...then push...one six five...** " She managed to say as he did as she asked, Bulma was grateful that she had the foresight to input her baseline blood sample months ago to be a test subject. The machine whirred to life and started to pump her blood out through her arteries as the Nanobots filtered detoxified blood back into her veins. She finally relaxed and slumped back against the Saiyan prince, who had been oddly quiet and complacent during the ordeal.

" **Should be okay now...Nanotech will filter my blood...of the toxin...** " Bulma stated calmly to Vegeta's questioning gaze. His posture laxed slightly and Vegeta noticed the woman's face had taken a more natural color and not the purple or red tint it had minutes ago. His eyes gauged the machine the size of a medium gas canister with a control panel on the top next to the wires pumping her blood through them. A small count of percentage was displayed on the screen and steadily going up. " **Once it goes past fifty...I can probably remove....the mask.** " Bulma said.

Vegeta grunted and turned to face her and replied. " **How? You didn't ingest anything recently.** " Bulma nodded toward her right booted foot and struggled to toe it off with her left foot. Vegeta grabbed the toe of it and tugged it gently off to reveal her foot swollen as angry red marks crept up from the heel of her foot. " **Yeah, figures. Whatever I...stepped on injected me with a toxin...** " She groaned out as she grimaced at her damaged foot. Vegeta clicked his tongue as his nose scrunched up at the sight, the woman would have been in pain when walking and yet she hadn't said anything.

" **Woman, how could you not notice? You would not have been able to ignore the pain.** " He bit out tersely, narrowing his eyes to met hers. She just shrugged her shoulders guiltily and looked down, avoiding his perceptive gaze.

' _She was hiding it from me, does she think I would toss her aside if she can't keep up?'_ Vegeta thought irritably before his mind slammed into the realization that a week ago, that's exactly what he would have done. At the first sign that she would have slowed him down or was deemed a hindrance, he would have stolen the radar and left her to her own devices. Vegeta stared dumbfounded at the device on her wrist in silence as his mind tried to pinpoint the moment this small, clever, and fiery Earth woman was someone he considered...important.

" **Sorry...** " Her breathy apology snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced up to see her remorseful face smile bitterly back at him. " **I'll be more careful from now on Vegeta...** " Her voice sounded pleading as her eyes tried to hide her worry. Vegeta had to turn his face away from her painful gaze as he struggled inwardly with his own thoughts and feelings toward the blue haired beauty. Grabbing the Dragon Ball, he shifted to set it in his lap as he crossed his legs. His arms crossed over the top of the orb holding it in place as he watched the woman from the side of his eye.

" **Yes. Well, I guess you're lucky you're a mad scientist and have all these confounding devices for every situation. Otherwise, you'd be dead right now and I would be down a Dragon Ball radar engineer.** " Vegeta dryly joked with his defensive scowl firmly in place. Bulma laughed out loud, fogging up her mask with her breath. Sparkling with mischief, she opened her eyes as she got her breathing back under control.

" **Well, on the bright side, Frieza wouldn't be able to get his hands on me to get the Dragon Balls, right?** " Her breathing was getting better as she was able to manage speaking without having to take deep breaths. Chuckling again slightly, she adjusted the mask on her face and looked down at her foot. " **Mad scientist, indeed. I guess that's better than slutty, riding my father's coat tails, bimbo everyone seems to think I am.** " She joked bitterly.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she looked to see the Saiyan scowling at her. She ignored his stare as she pulled up her injured foot to see the red marks had gone down as well as some of the swelling. The Nanobots were doing their job better than she expected. Vegeta clicked his tongue at her obvious avoidance of the subject she inadvertently dropped on them. After ten minutes of silence between them, he moved to address his main concern.

" **You said you needed to head back to base to figure out a container for the Dragon Balls? Explain.** " He said as he watched her reassess her injury again. The angry red marks were almost completely gone, but the swelling would make it difficult for her to walk.

Bulma looked up and nodded. " **Yeah I was thinking, if we are going to try to carry them around or stash them somewhere, that finding a way to put them in a capsule would be best.** " She stated plainly.

Vegeta tilted his head to one side, his brows coming together in confusion over his eyes. " **Why would you need to head back to the base to do that?** " Huffing slightly, Bulma pulled the mask off her face and stopped the device pumping the oxygen through it. She was getting lightheaded from having it on, which meant she was able to breath better now and didn't need it.

" **Well for starters you can't just capsule anything willie nillie, you have to sorta 'program' the capsule to identify and store it. It's nothing that requires serious adjustments. It's just easier to do with the proper tools. Not to mention I would like to find a way to have the capsule block the energy signal the Dragon Balls emit. In case Frieza or one of his men somehow get a hold of the radar and try to track down what we have stored.** " Bulma rambled off as Vegeta just watched her talk her thoughts out-loud. " **Not saying we would fail or screw up. Just call it being paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry down the road.** " She said as the Saiyan gave a curt nod to the sound idea of a contingency plan.

Bulma smirked as she met Vegeta's obsidian eyes. " **Besides, I don't know about you, but I could sure go for a hot meal and shower right about now.** " She said jokingly with a wink. At the mention of food both their stomachs grumbled in unison and Bulma laughed out loud. " **Oh my Kami! That is too damn funny! The stomachs have spoken!** " She giggled out as Vegeta grumbled under his breath.

" **Also, our clothes could use a good wash, I think we're starting to smell.** " Vegeta crinkled his nose up at the implication, and subtly sniffed to catch his own scent. He recognized he would definitely benefit from a good wash, not to mention he could smell the woman's scent and blood from where he sat. Huffing in agitation, Vegeta grunted his agreement and watched as the woman capsuled everything away but the Dragon Ball in his hands and the device hooked to her arm. Vegeta grabbed the Dragon Ball from his lap and smoothly moved to stand behind the woman while Bulma swiftly and carefully put her boot back on her injured foot. Snapping her belt back around her waist, she struggled to stand with the Nanodialysis under one arm and her injured foot until a firm steel grip at her elbow pulled her up.

" **Ah! Thanks, but I uh...I don't think I'm going to be able to drive the bike back.** " She said embarrassingly, grumbling under her breath.

Vegeta wordlessly handed her the Dragon Ball and bent to scoop up her light, fragile body. Bulma squeaked out in surprise and grabbed the orb and her Nano device tight to her chest. Vegeta shifted his hands to firmly grab under her knees and around and below her shoulders. The Saiyan pressed her tightly into his chest as he launched into the air with a grunt. Bulma turned her head into his neck to ease the bite of the wind as the ground flew past them at an alarming speed. It only took a few minutes before they reached near the cliffside caves, and Bulma raised her voice to be heard over the wind.

" **Remember Zarbon is still out** **there** **somewhere, I would power down before we get to the caves so he'll be less likely to track our base.** " She shouted as her nose and cheek bumped into his neck at his sudden deceleration.

" **Hn.** " He grunted and landed firmly on the ground eight hundred meters from the cave opening. He kept walking briskly with her still cradled in his arms and kept his gaze forward. Pulling her head up and away from his neck, Bulma looked around and shifted her gaze to catch the Saiyan's stoic profile.

" **I appreciate this, Vegeta. If you drop me off at the kitchen, I'll make us something to eat while you hit the shower first.** " Bulma said with a smile. The Saiyan only grunted in response, and kept his eyes forward on the opening of the cave. Bulma glanced down to her lap and checked the Nanodialysis canister to see it blink back eighty percent. Her body started to relax in the Saiyan's arms as he neared the entrance to the caves. Vegeta shifted his gaze to her face and raised a brow questioningly. She shifted the canister to show him the display and answered his silent question.

" **Looks like I'll be in the clear in a few minutes. To be honest, that was a bit too close for comfort for my taste. However, now I'll have the toxin on file and can create an antidote if something like this happens again.** " She said nervously as her heart thumped harder at the proximity of his warmth and scent. His slight nod had her slide the canister back into her lap as she rested her head on his shoulder pad.

' _Kami he smells good! Even when he's covered in sweat and smoke. A distinct musk that's just him... reminds me of the Applewood chips my father uses to burn his steaks..._ ' Her exhausted mind wandered until the sound of the front door opening and shutting behind her brought her out of her reverie. Vegeta walked into the kitchen and used one booted foot to pull out a chair and place her down in it. Without a second glance, he moved across to the other side and pulled out another chair. Tugging off his breastplate, Vegeta set it on the back of the chair as he sat to pull off his boots.

Bulma unclasped her belt and slid it, the Dragon Ball, and the canister onto the table before she pointed to the back room. " **Shower is through the bedroom and through the door at the back. The water boiler should already be running and probably stored up at least fifty liters, so you should be good to go.** " She said as she tugged at her boots, letting them slump onto the floor. Glancing up to see him nod before he pulled the top of his armor off over his head. Bulma stared at the numerous crisscrossing scars that littered his torso. Her mouth went dry as his toned muscles flexed before quickly ducking her head down to avoid his gaze as his head came free of the armor. Pulling out her medic capsule, she popped it open and attempted to disinfect and bandage her damaged heel. She twisted her foot in her lap to get a better view and bent over to see that there in fact was a small puncture wound. It looked slightly filled with dirt and puss around the hole and Bulma muttered under her breath.

" **Just fucking great...** " Huffing out she dug out numbing swipes, a small scalpel, cotton pads, disinfecting alcohol, and her special adhesive bandage. Vegeta stopped what he was doing and watched fascinated as the woman proceeded to wipe down the injury and then use the scalpel to cut into her foot widening the puncture wound. " **ARG! Guddaemmed mutharfaucking....fauck!** " Bulma said through gritted teeth after putting the scalpel between her teeth and flushing out the new exposed wound with disinfectant. The liquid purged the dirt and puss out of the wound and into the awaiting cotton gauze below. Bulma grunted loudly as she flush the wound one last time then grabbed a clean cotton bandage to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.

" **Woman...what the hell?** " Vegeta's confused voice pierced through her concentration, causing her head to snap up with the scalpel still held between her teeth. " **What barbaric act are you doing now?** " He said as he got up and moved to sit in the chair next to her.

" **Whut dos it louk like? I'm cleening teh woond.** " She said through clenched teeth and looked back down to check to see the new wound free from grime and puss. Pulling the scalpel out of her mouth she reached over to grab one of the Saiyan's hand and pressed it to her heel. " **Here hold pressure there for a second would you? I need to get the adhesive.** " She said as picked up the second skin tape and tugged a piece off.

Vegeta was momentarily stunned but followed her directions and pressed lightly down to stop the bleeding. He looked up to see her pull another small strip and place it next to the other, both strips hung off the edge of the table. Grabbing one swiftly, she turned back to him and nodded her head. Vegeta removed the now bloodied cotton bandage and watched as she quickly swiped the strip on and smoothed it out, sealing the wound and any blood that tried to escape. Bulma lifted her head to give the Saiyan a grateful smile as she took the bloodied cotton from his hands.

" **Thanks for your help. I'll get started on heating up some food right away. You should probably go get cleaned up now. It won't take me long.** " She said as she started to clean up the mess from the medical supplies.

Vegeta stared at his hand as her words washed over him. He could see around his fingers where the woman's blood had soaked through the bandage and bled through to his skin. His sensitive nose could pick up the scent of it on him. For the first in a long time, Vegeta was unnerved by the scent of blood, her blood. The Saiyan prince stood up suddenly, without saying a word, and hastily walked to the bathroom in the back.

Bulma watched him storm off, taking notice of his ashen face. Shrugging to her self and filing it away for later in her mind, she slipped the canister into her cloth belt and secured it tightly. Hobbling over to the kitchen counter, Bulma pulled open double doors full of capsuled provisions. Thumbing through a few choices, Bulma decided on lasagna and casserole with a meaty stew and dinner rolls. Popping open the capsules she managed to shove the oven with three dishes of lasagna and casserole, stuck a rack of twenty-four rolls in the industrial toaster oven, and had two large pots of beef and vegetable stew heating up on the stove top. It took her close to ten minutes to set it all up but now she had around fifteen before any of it was ready to serve.

' _I hope that's going to be enough, and maybe I'll get a chance to eat some this time._ ' She thought to herself, unable to stop the one-sided smile from spreading on her lips. She still could hear the water running from the bathroom, so she grabbed her back pack and carefully hobbled to the work table to the right of the kitchen.

The whole house was open with no separating walls except the bedroom. There were shelves and bookcases shoved to the right of the kitchen with gadgets and devices. The space was probably once deemed a workspace for her father when she was younger and they went on their 'camping trips' for family vacations. However, now it was left to time with dust and old, out-of-date devices. Thumping her backpack on the table, Bulma looked at the shelves and bookcases to see if she could find her father's old capsule coding device. Catching a glimpse of it, she carefully pushed aside a few older model tablets and dug it out from one of the bookcases.

" **There you are, you little rascal! Kami, I hope you still work after all this time.** " She mused and then hobbled back to the kitchen table with the Dragon Ball. Setting down the device, Bulma pulled a few empty capsules from her utility belt on the table and started the process of trying to code at least one to be able to successfully capsule the Dragon Balls.

As soon as he entered the bathroom, Vegeta quickly shrugged off his leggings, rushed into the shower, and hurried to wash the grime and the woman's blood off himself. He turned the handle, hearing it strain and almost break, and cold water sprayed in front of him. Not waiting for the water to warm up, Vegeta roughly rubbed at his hands to wash the blood off. His jerky movements stilled as the water transitioned to scalding and he thrust his head under the stream. Hissing out briefly before his skin got accustomed to the temperature, he rested his hands and forehead against the cool tile wall as the burning hot water pounded his back.

' _Don't think about it. It's just blood, and it's just the woman's blood at that. Don't think about her!_ ' Vegeta's mind desperately ground out, scrunching his eyes tight and trying to will away the memories of the only woman who was precious to him long ago. His hands balled into fists against the tile as images of a young, beautiful woman with black eyes, raven hair, and a kind smile floated through the prince's mind.

' _She's not her! I'm not my father and I can win against Frieza! Don't think about her!_ ' Vegeta screamed out internally as he 'gently' slammed his head into the tiled wall, causing a few tiles to crack. The Saiyan prince struggled to get his breathing and emotions under control. Eyeing the soap dispenser on the wall, he lathered up and proceeded to roughly clean himself up. Vegeta feared he was already too close to the Earth woman, that she somehow crumbled his carefully crafted emotional barriers around his battered, hardened heart. He was sure that the woman's kindness and warmth, the gentle touch he had not felt in a quarter of a century, was what reminded him of her, of his mother.

' _STOP IT! She WILL NOT share the same fate as her, you can make sure of that!_ ' He growled out as he mentally reprimanded himself, washing the soap from his body. Vegeta braced his hands against the wall as his head slumped in defeat, he was already thinking of protecting the Earth woman no matter the threat. Letting out a sigh, Vegeta's shoulders slumped against the boiling water baring down on him as he realized his Saiyan instincts had already won.

' _It's too late to deny it now, the Saiyan in me has already decided...damn it._ ' He thought morosely as he came to terms that his instincts had claimed the blue-haired woman important enough to protect. Vegeta turned off the water with a huff and stepped out of the shower. Using his Ki, he heated his body's surface to evaporate the water droplets that still clung to him as he faced the mirror.

A battle-hardened and weary looking prince stared back at him, his eyes filled with sadness and pain. With no one to see him, Vegeta had let his mask slip in the bathroom and saw himself for the first time in years. He saw what decades of working for Frieza, doing his dirty work, had done to wear down the proud and honorable Saiyan. Sighing heavily, Vegeta ran a hand down his face as he tried to force all those memories and feelings back down into that tightly locked box.

' ** _"Remember my little prince, we weren't always a race of cruelty and blood. We are strong yes, but we fought to protect those that we cared for, for honor, for those that couldn't fight back the evil themselves. Never forget what your true Saiyan heritage is..."_** ' His mother's last words echoed hollowly back at him, and he grit his teeth and shut his eyes to block it out.

' _No! I must survive no matter what. I must exact vengeance, no matter the cost, for what that bastard has done to me, to my people, and to countless others. I am the only one who can! It's my duty as the Prince!_ ' Vegeta's eyes blazed open with determination as he reaffirmed his promise he made to himself since he was seven. Looking up into the mirror once again, he saw his carefully crafted mask of scornful pride back in place and nodded, satisfied with himself.

Pulling back on his armored leggings, Vegeta carefully inspected the small three inch nub that was all that remained of his tail. A deep sense of loss washed over him, yet the warrior in him recognized that he was free from the weakness of it being used against him. Still, Vegeta felt pain at the thought he would never be able to use it to find his rightful mate.

' _Not that I would have anyways with all female Saiyans dead, but maybe, I wonder..._ ' His mind wandered and an image of fiery blue eyes framed with silky cerulean hair briefly flashed in his mind. Shaking his head forcefully, Vegeta stomped back to the kitchen as he mentally reminded himself that just because the woman acted like a typical Saiyan female did NOT mean she was worthy.

The smell of the food heating up wafting through the kitchen made the Saiyan's mouth water as he glanced to see the woman hovering over some device with the Dragon Ball. Striding over to the chair next to her, he sat down quietly and observed the woman in silence. Bulma felt the air in the room change, like it had been charged with energy, and looked up into the stern face of the Saiyan prince watching her.

" **Oh, done already?** " She asked surprised and quickly looked at the clock to see that she had spend almost twenty minutes working. Jumping up from her chair quickly she hobbled over to the stove. " **Damn it! I lost track of the time! I hope I didn't overcook anything...** " She said frantically out loud as she turned the stove and oven off and put on oven mitts to pull out the rack of rolls. Luckily nothing was burnt, and she took the rolls and a few hot plate coasters to the kitchen table. She turned to grab one of the big pots of stew before calloused hands grabbed it from her. Vegeta silently took the pot and placed it on one of the coasters on the table, going back for the rest of the pans in the oven. She smiled as she grabbed two utensils, bowls and plates and carried them to the table for both of them to use.

" **Thank you Vegeta. It would have been hard to carry with my foot and the Nanodevice.** " She said gratefully to him and he grunted softly in response. Looking down to the device propped up in her belt she saw it flash complete. " **Speaking of which...** " Bulma stated as she carefully pulled her work off the table and to a nearby chair. Gently as she could, Bulma stopped the device and clicked on the buttons that had pressed the needles into her skin. Dabbing at the blood that slowly leaked out from the injection site with a left over alcohol wipe, she quickly grabbed the adhesive still left on the edge of the table and smoothed it over the punctures. Using the rest of the wipe to clean the device of her blood, she re-capsuled the device and put it away in her belt hanging off the back of the chair. She would put it back in her medic kit later, for now she was starving.

Bulma looked up to see Vegeta had already started into one of the stew pots, pulling the whole thing in front of him as well as one dish of lasagna and casserole each, but had left a plate of rolls and a full bowl of stew near her side. Tilting down her head to hide her smile, Bulma pulled the food in front of her and quickly ate in silence. ' _Seems like he's not really as bad as he tries to come off as..._ ' She thought to herself before she decided to tease the Saiyan.

" **Thank you for leaving me some this time.** " She looked up to met his gaze with mischief in her blue eyes. He paused mid bite to watch her warily as she smiled coyly. " **I knew you had a kind heart under all that icy exterior!** " Bulma said with a wink as the Saiyan coughed, choking on the food he had in his mouth. Struggling to get his breathing back under control he glared at her with his cheeks and ears flushed red. Bulma turned back to her food with a cheshire grin as they continued their meal in silence.

Bulma soon finished her stew and used her last bite of roll to swipe up the remains in her bowl. Sighing happily, she turned to see Vegeta watch her as she popped the last stew soaked bite into her mouth with curiosity. He turned to his own empty pot and grabbed one of the rolls from the tray and broke it up to swipe it with the remains from the bottom of the pot. Vegeta's eyes widened as he chewed, his face looking as he stumbled upon some unknown technique. He swiftly used the rest of a few rolls to swipe the pot clean of stew, as Bulma had to stifle her giggle at the enthusiasm in which he acted.

' _Oh Kami! How can he be so cute!_ ' She wondered gleefully as he reminded her of Goku when he came across a new food, or a new way to eat something. ' _Must be a Saiyan thing..._ ' She thought as she stood to take her dishes to the already full sink. Rinsing them off, Bulma bent and placed the dishes in the washer. Turning back around to find him half way through another dish of casserole, Bulma walked up behind his chair and placed her hand on the back of it.

" **Hey, I'm gonna take my shower now. When your finished just rinse the dish out and put it on the counter, I'll deal with it later.** " She said casually as Vegeta gave a curt nod and continued eating. Reaching over to her belt slung over the back of her chair, Bulma pulled out the scouter and placed it next to him. " **Here, in case you want to check up on Zarbon's activity. I already coded a few capsules to store the Dragon Balls, and so far the radar can't pick up their signal.** " She removed her hand from the scouter and placed it briefly on the Saiyan's shoulder. Vegeta paused in his eating as his muscles stiffened at the contact. " **I'll only be fifteen minutes, but I would really appreciate it if you didn't leave without me.** " She said softly.

He turned his head slightly to glare at where her hand contacted with his skin, and she removed it swiftly remembering he had warned her about touching him. " **Oh, sorry...I forgot...** " She mumbled out and turned quickly, grabbing her armor capsule from her belt and fled the room as heat flooded her cheeks. She couldn't explained her desire to constantly reach out to touch him, nor the feeling of safety he evoked in her each time she did. Bulma turned her head one last time before leaving to glance back at his profile. He hadn't moved and was still staring at the place she had touched him, his face unreadable. Cursing her self inwardly for breaching his boundaries again, Bulma closed the door to the bathroom. She undressed hastily to take her shower, hoping he would still be there when she was done.

Vegeta was still lost in his thoughts as the woman fled to take her shower. That was the second time she touched his skin like that, gentle and almost reassuring. Her hand was cooler than his body, him being a Saiyan, but it wasn't cold or unpleasant. In fact it was soothing, yet it caused his skin to shiver and tingle as if energized with Ki. Even after she left, he could still feel the ghostly remnants of her soft, uncalloused fingertips.

Shifting his head back to stare at his unfinished meal, Vegeta let out a long-suffering sigh. The woman was indeed more dangerous than he had ever thought, and yet it was too late to do anything about it now. Finishing his meal in less than ten minutes, Vegeta placed the rinsed out containers on the counter. He put back on his armor and gloves, and turned on the scouter as he placed it over his ear. Crossing his arms and ankles, the Saiyan waited in silence for the woman.

Bulma quickly toweled down her body and hair, and took one last look at the crack in the tiles. Vegeta _had_ been angry. She decided to tread carefully from now on. Though as to why he was upset still baffled her. ' _Still, he must have shown restraint otherwise there would be a giant hole in the wall._ ' She thought amusedly. She pulled out her under armor and slipped it on swiftly and exited the bathroom. Walking through the open door to the living/kitchen area, Bulma let out the breath she was holding at the sight of the Saiyan dressed and waiting in the chair. Running her damp towel once more over her hair, Bulma tossed it into the hamper near the washer/dryer and quickly combed her fingers through her tangled cerulean strands.

Vegeta cracked one eye open at her movements, as the woman approached him. Zipping up her jacket and snapping her belt back on, Bulma grabbed the Dragon radar and a few newly programmed capsules. Taking one of the empty capsules, Bulma clicked it to encapsulate the three star Dragon Ball. Grinning widely, she picked up the capsule, it had an orange hue to it, and placed it into her belt. Shifting her face to met the Saiyan's gaze she gave him a thumbs up.

" **We're good to go. Thanks for waiting! Here.** " She said cheerfully as she handed Vegeta the dragon radar. " **I'll leave it to you where you want to start first. I marked the one we think is at Frieza's base so we shouldn't accidentally mistake it.** " She stated as she leaned over to turn on the radar in his hands and show him the marked Dragon Ball. Bulma made sure to avoid touching him unnecessarily as she turned the knobs. Vegeta grunted and stood up, forcing her to take a step back.

" **Any chatter on the scouter?** " She asked as she followed him out of the house, switching off the lights as she went.

" **No, it's been silent. No Ki signatures either, which means Zarbon could just be out of range or he is still at the base.** " Vegeta said. He honed in on the closest Dragon Ball southeast on the radar that wasn't the marked one. Turning to see the woman limp slowly after him, he grimaced with a scowl. " **Woman, maybe you should stay behind...** " He spoke before the scent of her fear and anxiety smacked him in the face.

" **No! Don't leave me here, please.** " Bulma said quickly before she visibly struggled to gather herself. " **I...what happens if Zarbon was able to track us down and I'm here alone...** " She said anxiously. Reaching out to grab his arm, she stopped at the last moment and withdrew her hand. Vegeta eyed her questioningly as she rubbed her hands over her arms in comfort. His mask faltered as he picked up her terrified scent, he could see she was struggling with memories long since past. The woman wasn't afraid because he threatened to leave her, she felt safe with him nearby. No, she was afraid of facing the dangers of Frieza's men alone, and what that could lead to. Vegeta was stunned.

" **Tsk! Fine, troublesome woman!** " Vegeta ground out as he turned his head to hide his face, trying to set his mask back in place before she noticed. Bulma let out a shaky breath and cautiously stepped up beside him.

" **Thank you...** " She whispered out.

Vegeta grunted as he wrapped an arm around her waist, hoisting her to his side and off her injured foot as much as possible. Bulma wrapped her arms around his shoulder pads and nodded. Pushing off the ground, Vegeta launched them into the air and sped toward the Dragon Ball just under a hundred kilometers away. Bulma braced herself as much as she could against the wind for what seemed like thirty minutes, until Vegeta decelerated his speed quickly in the air. Glancing up in confusion, Bulma noticed the Saiyan looking through a beeping scouter to the northwest of their position. Looking down at the radar in his hands, Bulma noticed they were not more than fifteen kilometers from the Dragon Ball.

' _Geez, how long and fast were we flying? If only..._ ' She thought to herself before his quick descent interrupted her thoughts. Touching down on the ground, Vegeta gently put her down on her feet before unwinding his arm around her waist.

" **Scouter picked up an energy reading close to Zarbon's level less than fifty kilometers northwest of us.** " Vegeta explained. Bulma nodded and went to grab her bike capsule in her belt. Vegeta's hand stopped hers and she looked up into his stern face. " **No, it will draw too much attention if he gets close in his search. Both in sound and looks, really woman...pink?** " He said, jabbing at her teasingly with a devilish smirk.

Puffing her cheeks out, Bulma's blue eyes shined with anger as she stuck her tongue out in response and snapped back defensively. " **I was sixteen when I built him from scratch! I see no reason to change it other than to modify it to be the fastest hoverbike out there.** " She slapped his hand away playfully, and watched his grin widen slightly. " **Fine, what do you suggest then? That I hop on your back? Yeah, I think NOT...** " She voice jokingly with a scoff.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as his grin grew mischievous, he picked up on her extreme distaste at the idea. He wasn't fond of the idea either, but the challenge she unknowingly established fueled him to carry it out regardless. Turning his back to her, Vegeta looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her as if to say ' _what are you waiting for?_ ' Bulma looked on in shock as the Saiyan bent at the knees a little to lower himself for her to hop on more smoothly.

" **You can't be serious! I was joking!** " She exclaimed with her cheeks flushed.

" **We haven't got much time woman, so quit standing there! Or would you prefer to stay here while I go grab the Dragon Ball?** " Vegeta growled out his warning, and Bulma flinched at his words.

" **No, no! That won't be necessary.** " She hurried out as she swiftly turned her belt around, so its pouches wouldn't dig into her, and put her hands on Vegeta's shoulders to brace herself. Pulling herself up on his back, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he looped his arms under her knees. She pulled her arms around the Saiyan's neck and used them to try and hold the majority of her weight on his shoulders. Handing her the radar, Vegeta stood up and secured her onto his back as he float-hopped across the ground, keeping his Ki lower than normal as he moved.

Launching them three hundred meters at a time, Vegeta made quick, rolling paces across the rocky landscape. Ten minutes passed and his stride waned, coming to a brief stop. Bulma angled the radar for him to see, turning the knob to zoom in on their position. Grabbing the radar from her hand to eye the distance and angle, Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement. Handing her the radar back, he looked forward and adjusted the woman's weight on his back before setting off again.

' _Thank Kami I don't get seasick! It's like being tossed around on an ocean back here._ ' Bulma thought with a smirk. Looking over the landscape, she saw a huge crevice cut into the land in front of them. Glancing at the radar, Bulma could see that the Dragon Ball was probably deep in the bowels of it. As they neared the crack, Bulma saw that only a child or a small woman would be able to squeeze through the opening.

" **Heads up, it looks like the Dragon Ball is at the bottom of this crevice.** " Bulma said into the Saiyan's right ear, and Vegeta came to halt at the opening. " **Damn, looks like I'll have to get it.** " She sighed and she carefully peeled herself from his back. Vegeta bent down to look more closely into the opening as Bulma un-capsuled another rope and harness. Taking off her jacket and belt, she quickly slipped the harness through her legs and snapped it around her waist. Looking up after tightening up the slack, Bulma met the curious gaze of the Saiyan prince.

" **Do you think you could lower me down there? It's gonna be a tight fit as is, so I might not have room for the climbing gear.** " Bulma asked as she fished out a small LED flashlight from her pouch. Vegeta nodded and grabbed the rope from her, and wrapped it around himself before giving her the slack. Bulma fed it through the harness clasps and started to slip herself one limb at a time through the crack. It definitely was going to be tight, as her butt and chest lightly scraped across rock as she squeezed through. Giving the Saiyan one last look, flashing him a cheeky smile. " **Don't move Homeboy, I'll be right back.** "

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and snarled at the woman as, with radar and light in hand, she ducked through the crack. Vegeta felt the rope go taut and a diabolical grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. He loosened his grip on the rope and let it slip through his fingers quickly for a few moments till he heard the woman screech out. Full on grinning, he swiftly grabbed the rope and stopped the woman's rapid decent with a jerk. He felt her weight, plus the velocity at which she fell, tug at his arms and yet he didn't even flinch. The woman's angry voice echoed up to him through the opening.

" **God damn it Vegeta! When I get up there SO help me I'll...** " She yelled before his voice cut her off.

" **What are you babbling about woman? My hand slipped.** " He replied back as innocently as he could. He slowly fed the line down as he heard her snap back at him.

" **BULLSHIT your hand slipped! You try that shit again my FOOT will slip right up your uptight ass!** " Vegeta couldn't help but bark out a harsh laugh in return. Getting one over on the woman as well as riling her up was just too much fun for the Saiyan prince.

Chuckling to himself, he peered over the lip of the crack to see she had turned on the light and was shining it around. The scouter beeped at him, warning Vegeta that Zarbon had moved toward their position but was still twenty kilometers away at least. Shifting his feet, he moved to face the direction the power was emanating from and watched the horizon. Minutes went by and Vegeta was starting to get restless as Zarbon moved less than ten kilometers away, and Vegeta was grateful they had rockscape covering their position.

" **Ah! I see it! Stop right here.** " She said loudly as her voice sounded far down into the crevice. Vegeta halted his movements and held her still as he felt the rope swing in his grasp. Gritting his teeth, Vegeta noticed that if they didn't hurry in the next five minutes, Zarbon would fly right over the crest of the rockside and see Vegeta in clear view.

" **Hurry up woman! Zarbon is about to fly right by us! I can't fight him if I have to hold up your weak body.** " He ground out angrily as he could only stand there holding the rope.

" **Got it! Pull me up!** " She exclaimed with joy, ignoring his snide comment. Vegeta quickly began to pull her up, hand over hand. He saw Zarbon's Ki covered form pop around the huge boulder hiding them from his sight just as the woman's form came into the light near the opening.

" **We've been spotted.** " Vegeta growled out through his teeth. He released his grip on the rope as she handed the orange sphere carefully through the crack to him. Tucking the Dragon Ball under his arm, Vegeta's gloved hand clasped the woman's gently as he helped pull her up from the opening. He thrust the Dragon Ball back into her hands as he tugged the woman behind him. Vegeta glared as Zarbon touched down twenty meters away, a smug grin plastered on his face.

" **Well, well, Vegeta! It's only been a few hours and here I find you with a woman AND another Dragon Ball...** " The blue-tinged alien said with a flamboyant flick of his braided hair.

" **Yo, Zarbon! 'Bout time your pretty boy self showed up. I hope after all this time you still haven't forgotten me...** " Vegeta snarked back, as he shifted his body subtly to cover more of the woman's frame. The woman's fingers grazed his cheek as she pulled the scouter off his face. Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of her putting on her jacket and belt. She slid the powered off scouter into a pouch as Vegeta noticed the Dragon radar was nowhere in sight. The woman firmly held the dragon ball in one arm and her EMP device in her other hand. Turning his attention back to Zarbon, Vegeta realized he was rambling something about how Frieza would be pleased and how the alien would be rewarded.

" **...He'll have such fun planned for that pretty little thing of yours! Too bad you won't be around to witness it. You know, I still don't understand why you decided to rebel against Lord Frieza. Such stupidity, but then again what did I expect from the monkey prince!** " Zarbon said with a chilling laugh, flicking his head so his jewelry flashed and jingled in the light.

Vegeta snarled menacingly as he made the gesture to flip off the gaudy alien. " **Blah, blah, blah! All I hear is _'Oh Vegeta! I want so badly to get my ass beat!'_ Fine then!**" Vegeta phased out before Zarbon's angry glare and blinked in behind him, catching Zarbon's defensive punch with his gloved hand. Zarbon's surprised face made Vegeta grin maniacally as he gripped his hand around the alien's fist tightly.

" **Let me indulge you!** " Vegeta yelled as he threw Zarbon into the air and phased in after him. Zarbon gathered himself and quickly blinked away from Vegeta. The alien braced his right arm at his bicep, launching a Ki blast that would rip apart a mountain straight at the Saiyan. Vegeta laughed with a lop sided grin, as he braced himself for the incoming blast.

" **Is that all you got?!** " He screamed out as he backhanded the Ki ball, deflecting the energy into a mountain many kilometers away. Zarbon watched in horror as the blast exploded and disintegrated the mountain behind the Saiyan prince, outlining his form in a blazing orange light. Reeling back in confusion and dread, Zarbon gaped at the prince before him.

" **What?! How could he have deflected that!** " Zarbon rhetorically screamed out before his scouter beeped the Saiyan's true power level. Vegeta laughed at the stunned look on Zarbon's face and rushed to close the distance between them. Zarbon threw a flurry of kicks to Vegeta's head in attempt to deter the Saiyan prince and catch him off guard. The ostentatious alien watched in dreaded disbelief as Vegeta dodged every calculated strike with ease. Vegeta laughed wildly as a demented grin split his face, showing flashes of his canines in a snarl-like smile.

" **This can't be the best you got! I thought the MIGHTY Zarbon's speed was supposed to be legendary!** " He goaded the alien and pulled back his fist to slam it into the right cheek of Zarbon's face, causing his head to snap back painfully.

Zarbon paused, huffing, as he caught his breath and Vegeta waited for the gaudy alien's next attack. Gritting his teeth, Zarbon put all his strength and speed into a high kick to the Saiyan's face, and Vegeta deftly dodged upwards. Blinking in above the alien upside down, Vegeta threw a back-flip kick on top of Zarbon's head and launched the alien down into the ground below. Vegeta dashed after him as Zarbon slammed into the ground on all fours. The alien quickly stood up as he braced for the Saiyan's incoming attack from above. He was greeted with empty open air, as Vegeta had phased in behind Zarbon and delivered a side kick to the alien's back. Zarbon slammed face first into the ground as he skidded along the rocky earth from the force of the Saiyan's kick. Zarbon's scouter was scuffed up but still in place as Vegeta laughed out loud to himself taking an aggressive battle stance.

" **Vegeta! Quit toying with the man and take out his damn scouter, for Kami's sake!** " Bulma yelled out as she stood too far from the fight to be able to use her EMP and disable Zarbon's scouter herself. She was unnerved with the seemingly beautiful alien. His long hair and amber eyes reminded her of the leader of the men who kidnapped her all those years ago.

Growling and turning away from the downed alien, Vegeta snapped back angrily. " **Don't tell me how to fight, woman! Stay out of this!** " Shifting his gaze back he watched with crossed arms as Zarbon slowly picked himself off the ground into a squatted position. " **I was hoping for more of a challenge. How disappointing.** " The Saiyan taunted. He grinned as he saw the downed alien start to shake, thinking he was quaking with fear at the thought of defeat by Vegeta's own hands.

Zarbon's breathy laugh floated to Vegeta's ears, and he turned his head to glare back with a crazed smile at the prince. " **You should have listened to the pretty little bitch Vegeta! You should have killed me when you had the chance, but your pride will cost you an easy victory.** " Standing up, he turned to face the Saiyan and wiped the dirt from his face. " **Shall I reward you and show you my true power? A form I have left lying dormant for many years?** " Zarbon said as he carefully straightened the wisps of hair that escaped his braid around his face.

" **True power? Dormant?** " Vegeta asked quizzically. " **You mean to tell me Frieza's little peacock has been hiding his feathers all these years?** "

Zarbon straightened out his uniform, dusting off the dirt and primping himself. " **It's true. I'm much more powerful than even you can imagine in that form. However, I pride myself on my beautiful face and body. As you well know, no one can resist MY charms.** " Zarbon said airily as he smiled and winked at Bulma.

Disgusted with his gesture to try and woo her in the midst of battle, Bulma rolled her eyes and scrunched up her nose at the alien. " **In your dreams, you fop!** " She yelled out and turned her nose up at him. Bulma was struggling to hide the apprehension she felt every time his golden piercing gaze turned to her. Those eyes were way to similar.

' _Now's not the time! Get your act together!_ ' She scolded herself and shifted her view back to the fight. Bulma tried to shuffle her feet forward as stealthily as possible to get in range for the EMP.

Vegeta howled out in laughter both at what Zarbon said and the woman's response, and wiped a tear from his eye. " **Really, that's the biggest load of crap I've heard from your mouth yet Zarbon!** " Vegeta grinned as he raised one eyebrow in a knowing gesture. " **And I've seen a lot of your debriefings to Frieza.** " He said, verbally jabbing back at the alien.

" **Exploiting my power causes for a distasteful and drastic transformation, and naturally I'm reluctant to sacrifice looks. Especially in the presence of such a gorgeous woman, but it seems you've given me little choice...** " Zarbon said, glaring hatefully at the Saiyan in front of him.

" **Next you'll be telling me YOU transform into a giant reptile, or an ape like me!** " Vegeta said and he placed his fists on his hips and barked out in laughter at his joke. " **Of all the bullshit I've heard people spout out when backed into a corner, I think your lie is my favorite!** "

" **Well! I don't grow giant like you stupid monkeys do, but once I do transform...** " Zarbon said haughtily, grinning as he ran his fingers through his hair. " **My power is overwhelming!** "

The sinking feeling Bulma had in the pit of her stomach at Zarbon's words made her stop in her tracks. Her instincts screamed out at her to run away as fast as her legs would take her, as she looked back and forth between the two fighters. ' _I have a REALLY bad feeling about this..._ ' She thought with foreboding.

" **Vegeta...** " Her voice shouted, her tone full of warning.

Bulma glanced over to see the Saiyan prince hold a hand out, warning her to keep silent and stay were she was. Crossing his arms in arrogant disbelief, Vegeta nodded his head in an upward jerk towards Zarbon and with a sinister snarl he goaded. " **Well go on then. I'm waiting!** "

**Part 2**

Grinning widely, Zarbon stretched out his arms and legs fully with his palms out. " **Aren't you the eager little monkey!** " Zarbon said with a sneer and shouted. " **Very well. Prepare yourself! For the beast within!** "

He fisted his hand as his muscles in his arms and legs spasmed and grew. His skin grew warty and boiled, scarred with pustules, but he doubled in size at his torso, legs, and arms. His voice lowered many octaves and took on a harsh, almost croak-like sound as he howled out. Zarbon's gut strained against the armor as it popped out a beer belly from his previous chiseled abs. The last to change was the alien's face, taking a reptilian like shape as the nose and jaw disappeared to be replaced by a slimy, frog's mouth.

Both Vegeta and Bulma recoiled back in disgust and horror, screaming out in unison. " **What the HELL!** "

Zarbon flexed his arms and laughed heartily. " **Ha HA! Repulsive isn't it? However, the trade off in power is unbelievable.** " He said while grinning maniacally.

" **Allow me to demonstrate!** " Zarbon yelled as he bull-rushed Vegeta faster than the Saiyan could mentally prepare.

Slamming his knee into Vegeta's chest and stomach, Zarbon knocked the wind out of the Saiyan with a pained gasp. In the same movement, the flamboyant alien open palm hit the prince on the right side of his head. Feeling as though he was hit by a spaceship battle cruiser, Vegeta hit the ground so hard he bounced and skidded ten meters. Before the unfortunate prince could catch his breath, Zarbon had kicked upward under Vegeta's chin, the force of his blow launched the Saiyan into the air. Quicker than lighting, the blue tinged alien grabbed the Saiyan's right foot at the ankle and tugged him back to brutally slam into the ground onto his back.

Bulma watched the events unfold in mere seconds and quickly gathered herself to act. If she didn't do something fast they might not be able to escape. Holding down he button on her EMP she threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as her injured foot would take her to get in range. Vegeta had the air knocked out of him when he hit the ground and was still struggling to breath. He felt Zarbon's hands close around his head in a large, vice-like grip as the alien hauled Vegeta off the ground by his head. Grinning and laughing like an insane man, Zarbon slammed his forehead viciously against Vegeta's skull over and over again.

Vegeta swore he could hear the crunching of his own skull as each hit dazed him more, made his vision blur, and made it harder to concentrate. He even swore he could her that familiar high pitch buzzing sound in his ears again. ' _Wait....I'm not imagining that!_ ' His mind focused on the sound through his daze.

" **Hey you, fugly ass troll! You drop him RIGHT NOW!** " Bulma shouted with such force and anger, it caused Zarbon to stop and look up for a moment. Halting in range, she braced herself to face the nightmarish creature and released the EMP device's shock wave.

Vegeta felt a moment of dread when he saw the glint of dark intent in Zarbon's golden eyes as he looked at the Earth woman. However, that quickly changed to confusion as the scouter on his face started to beep out of control and then explode on his face. Screaming out in pain and holding his burnt, cut up cheek and ear, Zarbon released Vegeta from his grasp. The Saiyan had a few heartbeats to gather himself and think before Zarbon would collect himself and start the fight again.

' _He's much stronger than before, possibly too strong at the moment. The woman has the radar and **cannot** fall into Frieza's hands or I can kiss my immorality goodbye! _' He reluctantly thought to himself as he turned and dashed in the blink of an eye to the woman. Bulma's startled shrieked was cut short, as the Saiyan grabbed the Dragon Ball from her arm and tucked it under his own. Pulling her to him with haste, Vegeta held on to her waist and launched them into the air as fast as he could and away from Zarbon.

" **Vege-AH!"** Bulma shouted with trepidation as she clung tight to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body as close as she could to the Saiyan. She prayed to Kami her grip wouldn't falter and she wouldn't end up a splatter on the ground from the speed and height they were going. " **What was that!** " She yelled over the wind shakily.

" **Apparently Zarbon can double his power in that form. Damn it! I was a fool to let him goad me into that!** " Vegeta growled back with a snarl. Turning his head to glance briefly over his shoulder, the prince couldn't see Zarbon's form chasing after them. " **I'd rather the shame of retreating then have that brown-nosing bitch hand the radar and the Dragon Balls to Frieza...** " He said as he looked down to meet the curious blue gaze of the woman below him.

Bulma said nothing as she understood he was also including the cost of her falling into the hand of the evil lizard tyrant. She lifted her hand slightly and used the sleeve of her armor to wipe the blood from the Saiyan's brow. It flowed from a cut on his forehead that threatened to trickle into his left eye. They were reaching an enormous lake on their right as they flew closer toward their base.

" **Are you alright?** " She asked tentatively, speaking near Vegeta's ear so as to not have to shout over the wind.

Vegeta's head was pounding and his skull felt like it was moments from being crushed to pieces. He was sure he had bruised or fractured ribs, but he refused to admit to the woman he was struggling to even see straight. He could already smell her fear from before still clinging to her clothes and knew she didn't need to be concerned about him even more. Clicking his tongue in agitation, he shifted his eyes back to the landscape before them.

" **Tsk, I'm fine! Just as long as we-** " He said before cutting cut off with a jolt as a large energy blast went off behind them. Clipping Vegeta in the back and causing him to drop the Dragon Ball and plummet toward the ground rapidly.

" **GYAAAA!** " Bulma screamed as she shut her eyes tightly and squeezed herself against the Saiyan's face and chest.

The soft squish of her cheek against his chiseled one as well of her scent of fear, snapped Vegeta's eyes open. They were seconds from hitting the ground and his brain registered that if he didn't try to rotate them in the air, the woman would take the brunt of the impact. Knowing that it would most likely kill her with her delicate frame, Vegeta grit his teeth and forced his battered body to turn at the last moment. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and braced for the harsh landing. His back and head slammed forcefully into the ground and his grip around the woman slipped as he slid twenty meters gouging out the land below him.

Bulma grunted out in pain as she tumbled across the ground another twenty meters, lightly bruising her limbs but leaving her relatively unharmed. Everything was still for a moment before Vegeta slowly came to, with a groan. He struggled to breath shallowly as the familiar pain of cracked or near broken ribs radiated from his back. He opened his eyes and tilted his head to catch a glimpse of the woman knocked out, face down on the ground with the Dragon Ball not more than five meters from her. Huffing and gritting his teeth through the pain, Vegeta slowly rolled over from his back to his stomach as he tried to relieve the pressure on his ribs. Vegeta saw a large boot tap down the left of his face. Looking up he saw Zarbon's giddy face overshadow him.

" **What? Is the mighty Prince of Apes giving up already?** " Zarbon said with a nasty laugh. " **I thought you would have more backbone then that, or are you getting sloppy because of the company you keep these days!** " He said throwing his head back and laughing heartily at his own joke. Turning his head to spy the woman looking up at them from her prone poistion, Zarbon eyed her and the Dragon Ball greedily.

" **Still, I never would have believed YOU of all people, Vegeta, would associate yourself with such weak vermin.** " The alien barked out and turned his gaze to the Saiyan lying at his feet. Zarbon narrowed his eyes and stared hard at Vegeta's face, the prince glared back with gritted teeth and fisted his hands. " **Unless...** " Zarbon said with a knowing glint to his eye as he turned from the Saiyan and walked over to the woman, who was trying to back up from his advancement on her hands and feet.

' _NO! Not her..._ ' Vegeta's mind lashed out angrily as his Saiyan blood took over and forced his limbs to move in their battered and broken state. Crawling to his hands and knees, he tried to catch his breath and siphon what little energy he had left to get up unnoticed while Zarbon was distracted with the woman.

Bulma was shaking so hard she could hear her own teeth rattling in her head as the alien slowly made his way to her. His golden eyes and wicked smile had her struggling to stay in the present and keep her mind calm. " **St-stay back you, mon-monster!** " She stuttered in terror as she fought to force her limbs to move her away from her impending fate.

Standing over her Zarbon said with a sneer as he bent forward to pick her up. " **I wonder why our little monkey prince is SO protective of you...** " Grabbing Bulma by the front of her jacket, he roughly hauled her up to face level. Bulma's trembling hands grabbed either side of the giant alien's fist as if to try and pry herself from his grasp.

" **Maybe you can track down the Dragon Balls? If so, Lord Frieza would so desire to meet you!** " He said pulling her close to his face as he gave her body a full once over. " **Pity, you are exquisite. I so would have loved to spend my time making you scream in more... _pleasurable_ ways.**" Zarbon said with a husky tone, licking his lips as his eyes flicked up back to hers with dark desire echoing in their depths.

Bulma's blood ran cold as her mind splintered between past and present. It showed her flashes of a dark, rainy night and the evil, lusting glint in a pair of amber eyes framed by long flowing hair. " **N-no, n-not again! Please!** " She whimpered as tears filled her eyes and threatened to trickle down her dirt stained cheeks.

" **Again?** " Zarbon's mind tripped up at the woman's words before picking up on movement from the Saiyan prince out of the corner of his eye.

Vegeta had lost all control as the scent of pure fear came from the woman. Her words of pleading sounded as though she was already being tortured, and his blood boiled with unfathomable rage. Powered by his fury, his body shot into action and dashed headlong into Zarbon. The long haired alien swiped an arm out quickly in defense, but struck only air. Putting his full force behind his attack, Vegeta gripped his hands to brace the impact. Baring his canines, Vegeta let out an animalistic snarl as surprise flashed on Zarbon's features before they quickly flashed in agony. Vegeta had blinked under Zarbon's attack and landed his elbow straight into Zarbon's gut as his knee went into the alien's groin at the same time.

" **GYUAAKKK!** " Zarbon choked out, spittle flying from his mouth as his eyes bugged out. The force of the Saiyan's blow had Zarbon release his grip on the woman, and launched him backwards into a mountain. Landing on her butt, Bulma grunted and saw Vegeta touch down beside her.

" **Ouch...** " She mumble before the Saiyan's strong, steady grip pulled her up to her feet by her elbow. Bulma raised her eyes to the Saiyan's face, seeing grim resolve etched in his features.

" **Woman, you need to get on that damn pink atrocity and get away as fast as you can! I will try to hold him off.** " He said with haste. Her eyes widened with realization as she shook her head. She reached out her hand and grabbed his bicep tightly.

" **What!?** **You can't beat him in your current condition, did you forget he's ordered to kill you!** " She shouted anxiously and quickly looked toward the giant hole in which Zarbon had made when he was thrown into the mountain.

" **What would you have me do then?!** " He snapped back frustratingly. " **We can't out run him! Even if I can't defeat him in this state, we cannot have him get a hold of the radar! If you have a better idea in that _genius_ brain of yours, I'm all ears!**" His angry voice lashed out, and Bulma's mind went into overdrive as she looked around desperately to see a solution to their dilemma.

' _C'mon girl! Think, think! You have an IQ of 200, you can find another way..._ ' She berated herself mentally as her eyes took in a large lake to their right that looked at least ten meters deep.

" **Well I'm not going to run away and hide my head in the sand while you...** " Bulma stopped mid sentence as she heard the movement of rocks from the hole Zarbon had made. 

' _Wait a minute, that's it! He doesn't seem that smart, so this just might work..._ ' She thought excitedly as she quickly tore through her pouches looking for the right capsules. Turning to face the Saiyan, she locked her gaze with his worn out eyes.

" **I DO have an idea, and it's crazy enough it might just work!** " She rushed out quickly before the Saiyan's dark eyes turned to obsidian and he shook his head. 

" **Woman, you don't have time for...** " Vegeta tried to argue before she interrupted him.

" **You're right. WE don't, but** **I promise t** **his will work** **!"** She said with conviction in her voice. Vegeta looked into the woman's eyes and saw no trace of fear or deception, only stubborn determination.

" **Fine, what's your plan?** " The Saiyan sighed out in defeat.

 **"** **How long can you keep him distracted?** " She said and briefly looked down to make sure she had her weapons and special defense capsules.

" **With my ribs busted like this? Maybe three minutes...** " Vegeta reluctantly said honestly, as he watched the woman rifle through her capsules. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was really hoping she had a way out of this for the both of them.

" **YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT YOU GODDAMNED APE!** " Zarbon screamed through the rocks as he shifted his way out of the hole and rubble. Vegeta shifted his stance to cover the woman's frame again from Zarbon's vision.

" **Make that two minutes...** " He bitterly joked, as Vegeta readied his body for the onslaught of pain, pushing himself to his limit. Bulma's gentle touch at his shoulder calmed his racing mind, and bolstered his reserve.

" **I'll take what I can get. Just keep him distracted and try to stay alive. I'll call out when I'm ready, and when I do, make sure you get the hell out of there.** " She said softly as she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement as Zarbon cracked his neck and fist and rushed toward them. Vegeta dashed to meet him halfway with a small energy ball in his right hand and released it to explode into Zarbon's face. The giant alien deflected the attack with his right hand and wrapped his left arm around Vegeta's right forearm, yanking up with a vicious snap. Vegeta howled out as he heard his shoulder dislocate and his humerus and radius bones fracture. Gritting his teeth, he tried to retaliate with another Ki explosion in his left fist to Zarbon's chest. Aiming for the damaged part in his armor, Vegeta's blast hit its mark and the large alien screamed out in pain. Pulling his dislocated arm from Zarbon's grasp, Vegeta quickly snapped it back into to place with a loud, painful grunt and readied himself for Zarbon's next attack.

Meanwhile, Bulma was moving as quickly as she could. After capsuling the Dragon Ball, she un-capsuled her medic kit and pulled out the sealant, an adrenaline injection, and a morphine shot and stuffed the items into her breast pocket. She then un-capsuled her remote controlled rocket launcher, her special-made flashbang, and her underwater oxygen re-breather of her own design. As she put the capsules back in her utility belt, the scream of pain from Zarbon made her pause in her actions. She looked up to just barely see Zarbon attack in a flurry of movement as Vegeta did his best to defend and take as little damage as possible. Grabbing her launcher, Bulma quickly pressed the buttons on the side to adjust the settings.

Another ear piercing howl of pain caused her head to jerk up as she saw blood spew from Vegeta's mouth and right shoulder. Zarbon had attacked relentlessly at the Saiyan's injured right arm as multiple hits tore through armor, bone, and caused a massive wound that was flowing freely from his pectoral up to his shoulder joint. Zarbon's evil laugh echoed through the air as he grabbed the Saiyan around the neck from behind and taunted the wounded warrior.

" **Ugly as it is, in THIS form I'm capable of snapping your neck like a twig!** " Zarbon laughed out as his left arm tightened around Vegeta's neck, almost cutting off his air supply. Using his left hand to try and give himself more room to breath, Vegeta grappled against the alien's steel grip. " **HA ha! Fight back all you want Vegeta! It just makes this more fun for me!** " Zarbon said as he cackled at the Saiyan's futile struggling. Taking pleasure in seeing the prince slowly choke to death, Zarbon was too distracted to notice the blue haired beauty twenty meters away brace her stance and aim her rocket launcher right at him.

" **Hey, swamp thing!** " Bulma shouted, her voice causing Zarbon's head to snap up in anger and confusion as he took in the device bolstered on her shoulder. Vegeta cracked open one eye and his bloodied lips pulled up at one side of his mouth. The woman looked like a Saiyan female warrior of legend that Nappa used to tell the prince about when he was little. All rage and blood thirsty eyes, armed to the teeth as her wild hair whipped in the wind. Vegeta pooled his strength and elbowed Zarbon hard in the stomach where his armor was cracked and had no protection. Hearing the alien choke out in pain as his grip lessened, Vegeta ducked away quickly as Bulma pulled the trigger and launched her rocket right at Zarbon's face.

The frog-like alien barely had enough time to catch his breath and reach out to grab the rocket with both hands in front of his face. Smirking at the Earth woman as his eyes glinted with delight, Zarbon hesitated as Bulma grinned widely.

" **Gotcha bitch!** " She shouted with a wink as she clicked the detonate button on the handle of the launcher.

" **WHA?** " Zarbon was only able to reply back before the rocket in his hands beeped loudly once before exploding from the inside creating a huge blast of smoke, heat, and light. Vegeta looked on in wonder as the woman rushed toward him, tossing her used up launcher onto the ground next to him. Pulling out her sealant, Bulma quickly got to work on the Saiyan's bleeding shoulder. Vegeta grunted painfully as she stuck the foam in the gash and plugged the gaping hole. Bulma looked into the Saiyan's exhausted dark eyes and used her fingers to smooth out the foam as she nodded toward the blast.

" **We don't have long, that will only stun and maybe take out his hearing for a minute at most. I'm guessing you can't fly?** " She asked gently and Vegeta curtly nodded his head. He was feeling worse than when he took the beating on Earth. Slumping slightly, he felt the woman brace her shoulder under his uninjured arm and watched her replace the sealant in her hand with some sort of three pronged device with a mouth piece at the tip.

" **That's what I thought, then we'll have to hide and wait him out.** " She muttered quietly and grabbed the flashbang from her right breast pocket with her other hand. Pulling the pin, she held the clasp down and looked up to lock eyes with the Saiyan's puzzled gaze. " **Hey, remember Krillin's Solar Flare move?** " She said, grinning mischievously.

Vegeta's eyebrow's furrowed as his slow, muddled mind struggled to put a face to the name. The midget flashed in his mind with a blinding light as he yelled out the signature move. Bulma saw the realization dawn on his face as a furious growling yell drew their attention back to Zarbon's smoke clad form. The giant alien stumbled out of the smoke holding and shaking his head, his face bloodied and burnt. His hair was singed and his jewelry was cracked, as the fury in his golden eyes ignited at the sight of the Earth woman.

" **YOU BITCH! ONCE I FINISH WITH VEGETA, I'll TAKE MY TIME CATCHING YOUR ASS! THEN I'LL ENJOY WATCHING FRIEZA TEAR THE FLESH FROM YOUR BODY, PIECE BY BLOODY PIECE!** " Zarbon screamed in a high pitched, loud voice. Bulma stiffened at the sight of him and felt Vegeta's grip on her shoulder tighten in response. Bulma released her grip on the handle of the grenade and whispered under her breath, " **eyes!** " Vegeta averted his gaze just as Bulma tossed the grenade toward Zarbon.

" **Catch this, frog-lips!** " She barked back, and closed her eyes at the last moment. Zarbon's eyes widened and he readied a blast to blow up the object before it reached him. However, the grenade blew up before he could throw the ball of energy and the light it emitted burned his retina's as well as the loud bang deafened his already damaged eardrums.

" **GOD FUCKING DAMN IT! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BITCH!** " He yelled out as he covered his eyes once again and screamed in fury.

Bulma reopened her eyes and tugged at the wounded Saiyan to get him to move. " **We need to move now! Take a deep breath and dive!** " She voice hastily and shoved her re-breather into her mouth before pulling them into the shallow edge of the lake.

Vegeta opened his eyes to see the water lap at his knees and quickly took a deep breath before diving under the water with her. The warm water quickly turned chilly as they sunk down further to the bottom of the lake. It slowly seeped into his bones and he wondered how the woman was faring against the cold. Turning to face her, he saw that she was looking up towards the surface to see if Zarbon had followed. He could tell she was breathing with the apparatus in her mouth, yet no bubbles were forming from her exhale. Vegeta started to struggle to stay conscious as his wounds and lack of oxygen was causing him to be even more exhausted, along with the adrenaline that was slowly leaving his body from the fight.

Bulma turned to assess Vegeta's condition and she saw his eyes flutter closed. Without a second thought, she pulled the re-breather from her mouth and firmly place it against his lips. Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he hesitantly put the re-breather in his mouth, he could taste the woman on his tongue as he took in a shaky breath through the device. Filtrated oxygen flooded his starved lungs, and he exhaled through the device to see water push out through the other two ends. His stunned gaze locked with her blue eyes and she gave him a tentative thumbs up gesture.

' _Y_ _ou good?_ ' She seem to ask him.

' _I'll never underestimate this clever woman again..._ ' Vegeta's mind numbly voiced out as he nodded and watched her dig into her pockets to grab an injector pen.

She pulled herself closer to him, her hair floating around her face like silk waving in the wind. Vegeta watched as she showed him the orange injector and tapped at the label ' _adrenaline._ ' She pointed to her watch on her right wrist then point to the hour hand, Vegeta nodded as she counted the hours out and pointed to the Saiyan's chest.

' _She's giving me an adrenaline shot that will last three hours..._ ' Vegeta thought to himself as he saw her face change color slightly and bubbles started to leave her mouth.

Vegeta took a deep breath before removing the breathing device and gave it back to her. Bulma quickly wrapped her lips around the device and breathed in with quick deep breaths. Vegeta mentally filed away he could hold his breath much longer than she could. Pointing to her watch again at the end of the three hours, Bulma pointed back to the Saiyan and then put her hands together against her head and pretended to fall asleep.

' _Ah, I'll crash when the drug wears off, we better be back at the base before then..._ ' Vegeta thought as he nodded his head at the woman's questioning stare, trying to convey that he understood.

Bulma pulled at his armor near his chest and pointed to his ribs near his heart and showed him the two-and-a-half inch needle as she clicked it out. Vegeta's eyes widened with apprehension, and his eyes locked with her sympathetic ones. She lifted the injector after retracting the needle and gently tapped his chest to the beat of his heart.

' _Fuck! She has to inject that straight into my heart!? This is gonna hurt like a bitch..._ ' He thought grimly as his eyes moved to watch her fingers tap at his chest, his lips pulled into a disgruntled snarl.

Bulma's hand laid flat against his chest and he looked up to see the hesitation in her eyes. Raising his hand to cover hers on his chest, Vegeta nodded his head as his face showed his resolve. He felt her delicate fingertips try to feel out his bones underneath his muscle and realized he would have to help her find the spot between his ribs to pierce his heart. Using his fingers to move hers, he showed her the place to inject him, the sweet spot between his ribs and sternum. She placed the injector's blunt tip against the spot and used her free hand to removed the re-breather and pass it to him. Vegeta took it and breathed in as she made biting gestures with her teeth and shook her head.

' _Don't bite down, got it...'_ Vegeta translated mentally and nodded back at her.

Raising her hand she held up three fingers, quickly counted down, and pointed to the injector. Vegeta took a steadying breath and nodded his agreement. Bulma readied her thumb on the button on the injector and had her free hand brace against the right side of his chest. Holding the Saiyan's gaze, she tapped out the count on his pectoral.

'* **tap** * _One..._ * **tap** * _two..._ * **tap** * _three..._ ' Vegeta mentally counted with her and loosened his jaw after the third tap just as the needle jabbed painfully into his skin and muscle, injecting into his heart. Vegeta growled out his pain, a small amount of bubbles floated out around the breathing device. He felt the adrenaline flood his heart, causing it to pump faster and harder. His breathing sped up, and he realized why the woman gave him the re-breather as he would have never been able to hold his breath with the adrenaline coursing through him.

Bulma carefully retracted the needle and pressed her free hand over the wound to try and stem the flow of blood for a few seconds. She put the used injector back onto her breast pocket and fished out another injector pen, a much smaller one. Vegeta fought to control his breathing as she showed him the pen labeled ' _morphine._ _'_

' _For the pain_.' She mouthed as air bubbles floated from her words. Vegeta gave a quick nod before he took a deep breath and held the re-breather out for her to puff for air a few times. The grateful look in her eyes after she removed her mouth from the apparatus along with a thumbs up made the Saiyan feel heady.

' _Or that could be the lack of oxygen..._ ' He thought sensibly and quickly popped the device back in his own mouth, sucking up the oxygen greedily. The Saiyan prince watched as the woman carefully injected his shoulder with the morphine and rubbed the site gently to eliminate the pain she must have thought she caused. Bulma could visibly see his shoulders relax and the pain that was etched in his face slowly faded away as the drug ran through his system. Putting the used morphine injection in that same pocket as the other empty injector, Bulma quickly looked up to the surface once more. Her teeth were chattering inside her head and her fingers started to feel numb from the cold of the water. Unknowingly, she rubbed her hands together as she searched for any form of Zarbon, her head swinging around behind her briefly.

Vegeta saw her shivering frame and mentally slapped himself for not acting sooner. Pulling his armor off with care, he winced slightly and was taken aback at the distinct lack of pain he felt from moving his arms and chest. ' _Must be the morphine, damn she has it working fast..._ ' He mused with a smug grin. The Saiyan's smile dropped from his face when he reached out and grabbed her ice cold hands. She swiftly turned her head back to look at him quizzically and Vegeta growled as took notice of her blue lips. The adrenaline that was pumping through his veins caused Vegeta's body temp to rise and keep him warm. The Saiyan hoped there wasn't enough light to show the rising blush on his cheeks as he pulled the woman close to him. 

Bulma gaped like a fish, bubbles escaping from her open mouth in an underwater yelp, as Vegeta pulled her to his chest. Confused at first, her delicate brow quirked up at him until his Ki surrounding his arms and chest heated her chilled body. Recognition and relief flooded her face as she quickly unbuckled her belt and unzipped her jacket, stuffing both inside his discarded chest armor. Pulling her arms up in front of her, Vegeta's arms hesitantly wrapped around her small waist and shoulders. His hold pulled her cold, soft body flush against his chest, and the woman shivered lightly as she moved to nuzzle deeper in the prince's warm, Ki filled embrace. Reaching up to pull the re-breather from his mouth, she looked up and mouthed ' _thank you'_ before popping it in and taking a few deep breaths. The Saiyan nodded awkwardly, averting his eyes, hoping it was just the adrenaline that was causing his heart to beat uncontrollably.

As time ticked by, they passed the re-breather back and forth between them until Bulma felt her body slowly stop shivering as she started to warm up. She pulled up her wristwatch and saw that almost thirty minutes had passed since they entered the water. Tapping his chest to get his attention, she matched his dark eyes with questioning blue ones. She pointed to her watch and mimed out ten on her hands three times, pausing for a sign of understanding from the Saiyan. Vegeta stared back and quirked an eyebrow in his condescending manner as if saying, ' _what of it?_ ' Huffing in agitation, a small amount of bubbles leaked out around the re-breather in her mouth. She quickly tugged the device out and mouthed ' _Zarbon'_ as she pointed to the surface with a head tilt.

' _Ah she is wondering if I can sense him about..._ ' Vegeta's mind realized and he lifted his head to the surface, closed his eyes, and tried sense the alien's presence. His brows furrowed as he tried to reach out as far as thirty kilometers in every direction, but with the lack of air it was becoming difficult to focus. As if the woman could read his mind, Bulma lightly pressed the re-breather to his lips and Vegeta took it in his mouth without opening his eyes. Giving her a slight squeeze with his arms as if to thank her, Bulma patted his chest twice in understanding. Eyes still closed, he shifted his head around one last time before opening them and looking down into her cerulean irises. He shook his head no as a reply to her previous question and she pointed to the both of them, then upward.

' _Shall we go up then?_ ' His mind translated and Vegeta nodded as he removed the re-breather, handing it back to her. Bulma quickly placed it back in her mouth and floated behind the Saiyan as he picked up his chest armor with her jacket still inside. He turned to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. With a quick burst of renewed energy from the adrenaline shot, Vegeta shot them upwards and broke the surface. Bulma pulled the device from her mouth and both of them gasped in fresh air as they stumbled toward the bank together.

" **Oh Kami! Fresh air never felt so fucking good. Am I right?** " Bulma exclaimed with a laugh as Vegeta grunted his agreement with a raspy chuckle. Both sat on the bank, letting the sun warm their bodies for a few moments before Bulma looked around at the previous battlefield. " **Son of a BITCH!** " She shouted and startled the Saiyan as she stood up quickly to rush over to a pile of scraps on the ground three meters away. Vegeta stood and followed her, curious as to what had upset her so much to shout like that.

" **Woman, what in the worl-** " He said before halting his words as he looked down at the remains of her rocket launcher device. Vegeta did his best to stifle his snort of laughter, but the woman looked up with anger reflected in her blue eyes. He did his best to steel his features and look impassive, but an impish glint in his eyes must have given him away.

" **Bastard destroyed my custom made remote controlled rocket launcher! I spent months working on that when I was 20!** " She snarled out as she looked back down to sift through the broken parts, seeing what she could salvage. " **He must have done it when he couldn't find us. Mother fucker!** " She hissed out as she punched at the soft grass in anger, hunched over the barely salvageable remains. " **I can't save any of this! Well, maybe some of the wires, the control panel, and a few other parts but what for! UGH!** " She growled out. Grabbing her belt and tugging it free from Vegetaa's chest armor he held in his hand, Bulma decided to just capsule the remains and deal with filtering through all of it later.

Vegeta watched on in silence, he had trusted this fiery, genius Earth woman and she had saved both their asses from a fate worse than death. He couldn't help the growing smile that spread on his lips, nor the growing respect and affection he was starting to feel for this woman. As she stood up, Vegeta handed her sopping wet jacket back, and struggled briefly with a hiss to put his chest armor back on. He felt the woman's hands help him tug it back on gently and he grunted his thanks as he adjusted over his fractured and aching ribs.

" **You're welcome.** " She said with warmth back at him. Looking in the direction of their base, Bulma huffed out an exasperated sigh and turned to look back to the Saiyan prince's silent questioning gaze. " **You probably still can't fly huh?** " She asked rhetorically as she saw his grim nod before reaching for her bike capsule. " **Well I hope you remember where we are and how to get back to our base, because all my sensoring equipment is wet so I won't be able to use it.** " She spoke with a weary tone and un-capsuled her bike. Stuffing her wet jacket and belt in the storage compartment, Bulma tiredly swung her leg over and mounted her bike.

" **Hn, more or less. If we need, I can float up to get a better view.** " Vegeta said as he climbed onto the bike behind her slowly, careful so as to not exacerbate his injuries further. Nodding back, Bulma started the bike and pressed slowly on the gas when she felt Vegeta wrap his left arm haphazardly around her waist. As they started the long trek back to the safety of their base, Bulma let out a bark of a laugh before turning her head slightly to the side to speak to the Saiyan.

" **I honestly can't believe that fucking worked! Thank Kami it did though, cause I could use a hot meal and a shower, and eight to ten hours of undisturbed sleep!** " She said with a fatigued grin over her shoulder as Vegeta slumped his body against her back and rested his chin on her shoulder. His body was already starting to feel spent and in need of serious recovery, the only thing keeping him awake and running was probably the adrenaline shot she gave him earlier.

' _Goddamned clever woman._ ' He thought with pride as he grunted tiredly in agreement once again to her. Vegeta closed his exhausted eyes and gave back an equally worn out, lop-sided grin to the blue haired genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1: You and everyone else, eh Vegeta?
> 
> So as I stated above, this Chapter ended up being much longer and more jam packed then I intended. Sorry bout that! As I started writing I just really got into certain ideas and though it needed a bit more 'filler' for their actions in the fight to happen they way they did. Both characters had to come to recognize on their own why they acted or treated the other the way they did. We also got sneak peeks at each one's dark history and why both act protective and defensive against the other. Cause ya know, I needed to establish a bit the reason to why they fight their instinctual attraction to one another, at least at first. However, I came to the decision to separate this into two parts partly because I have a lot going on right now, and also cause having really long chapters can be daunting. 
> 
> Also, I really do love writing this out, but it seems people are less interested in reading or commenting on them. Maybe that's because I'm not putting them out at a certain time or it is taking too long. I'll have to get a better hold on popping out chapter on a certain schedule or time eventually. I hope you all are staying safe and doing well. Until next time!
> 
> Part 2: Clever woman indeed Vegeets!
> 
> Hey there everyone! I know this took a bit of time to pump out and I've been a bit off and on, but I've really been struggling with sadness with my RL issues lately. Although I had a really nice comment from a new reader that helped, what really got me out of my funk was finding the group The midnight, and listening to a few of their albums. I pretty much wrote most of this part 2 listening to their album 'Endless Summer' and I highly recommend it for those who love the 80's type music. I wonder if it affected the outcome of this story, but I pretty much had the whole underwater scene planned out from the get go. The little interactions between the two go unnoticed in the moment but don't worry, they will have plenty of time to rest up and think about what happened while grumpy pants has to have his Saiyan genes do their thing! Anyways, I still don't have a lot planned out for the next few chapters, and I wanted to take some time away for a bit. Who knows when inspiration will strike, but I'll try and keep you posted when I can. In the meantime I hope this helps quench the thirst for a little bit and wonder if any of you saw this coming? Stay safe and as always thanks for reading!


	7. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma and Vegeta return to recover and rest. Bulma treats Vegeta's wounds and begins to see that there's more to the Saiyan prince than meets the eye. They have a quiet meal with pizza and Bulma helps Vegeta to bed before the Saiyan crashes. Bulma ends up cleaning up the dishes, showering, and setting her radar/scouter to dry out. She decides to crash on the couch and get some rest only to end up having nightmares of her past resurface. Vegeta is forced to wake her and sees even she has her own traumatic past. Mentioning offhandedly that in the past Goku used to help with her nightmares, Vegeta has his first real bout with jealousy. Bulma ends up goading Vegeta into helping her with her nightmares due to the prince's competitiveness. Both finally get some rest, and Vegeta ends up waking before Bulma. Taking time to analyze his thoughts and feeling pertaining to the woman. He finds himself at peace, awed by her beauty as well as her unguarded and trusting state with him. But as always when if come to a Saiyan, his stomach dictates that he must eat. Waking her, they go to the kitchen to prepare a Hotpot meal and Vegeta ends up getting an eyeful. Poor Vegeta is left dealing with his first nosebleed and growing emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything! not DBZ not the characters, and certainly not responsible for the amount of squeals of joy and laughter thus produced in the making and reading of this story!
> 
> Hey all! Holy CRAP did I enjoy writing this one guys! So sorry for another LOOOONG Chapter but I just couldn't stop and kept going, and going, and going...My poor poor Husband... I actually even broke off a huge part and put it as the next Chapter cause it was just getting too long. The next Chapter A Dangerous Game already has a good chunk done because I just couldn't stop once I got everything going. I'm still working on it when this probably goes out but just know....whoooboy! Is it a SPICY one!
> 
> So, just a few things to mention before you get into this Chapter...
> 
> I should warn people about some trigger warnings of torture, abuse, and attempted sexual assault. I myself have dealt with and EX trying to force me into something like that, so I know how it can stick with one long after you think you've gotten over it.
> 
> Also in my story, Bulma is a flirt but she's not hyper-sex oriented to the point shes actively trying to subjugated Vegeta to do things. In my story, it's out of her own interest due to the trauma she sustained. 
> 
> I picked this up on this "not forcing sexual contact or gestures" in the canon because as we know, she flirts a lot with the Saiyan during the three years as a way to mentally or verbally battle with him. However, when she has Trunks via their quick affair, she stops all suggestive and flirtatious comments to him. I feel this is because they had something, but then she was rejected and hurt by the Saiyan leaving. She is actively trying to not make a move or implication to him based on self-defense. She is trying to honor his 'wishes' because she doesn't want to scare him away and possibly lose him. 
> 
> However, if we jump to where they are together again, she does make suggestive comments but you can tell they are lovingly used to tease him as well as hint at what she wants from her Saiyan lover.
> 
> So from this, I gathered that she'll flirt when trying to "fight" with him but when it comes to implying anything between them or act on it, she's still a bit uncomfortable and shy. Just thought I would clarify this for those that might have any issues to bring up. I mean she ended up staying loyal to Yamcha for years before breaking it off to then have a fling with Vegeta in the canon, so I kind of see her as the faithful romantic type. Vegeta just seems to fan the fire in her in more ways than one, cause you know our girl just can't say no to a challenge.

** Previously **

Vegeta watched on in silence, he had trusted this fiery, genius Earth woman and she had saved both their asses from a fate worse than death. He couldn't help the growing smile that spread on his lips, nor the growing respect and affection he was starting to feel for this woman. As she stood up, Vegeta handed her sopping wet jacket back, and struggled briefly with a hiss to put his chest armor back on. He felt the woman's hands help him tug it back on gently and he grunted his thanks as he adjusted over his fractured and aching ribs.

" **You're welcome.** " She said with warmth back at him. Looking in the direction of their base, Bulma huffed out an exasperated sigh and turned to look back to the Saiyan prince's silent questioning gaze. " **You probably still can't fly huh?** " She asked rhetorically as she saw his grim nod before reaching for her bike capsule. " **Well I hope you remember where we are and how to get back to our base, because all my sensoring equipment is wet so I won't be able to use it.** " She spoke with a weary tone and un-capsuled her bike. Stuffing her wet jacket and belt in the storage compartment, Bulma tiredly swung her leg over and mounted her bike.

" **Hn, more or less. If we need, I can float up to get a better view.** " Vegeta said as he climbed onto the bike behind her slowly, careful so as to not exacerbate his injuries further. Nodding back, Bulma started the bike and pressed slowly on the gas when she felt Vegeta wrap his left arm haphazardly around her waist. As they started the long trek back to the safety of their base, Bulma let out a bark of a laugh before turning her head slightly to the side to speak to the Saiyan.

" **I honestly can't believe that fucking worked! Thank Kami it did though, cause I could use a hot meal and a shower, and eight to ten hours of undisturbed sleep!** " She said with a fatigued grin over her shoulder as Vegeta slumped his body against her back and rested his chin on her shoulder. His body was already starting to feel spent and in need of serious recovery, the only thing keeping him awake and running was probably the adrenaline shot she gave him earlier.

' _Goddamned clever woman._ ' He thought with pride as he grunted tiredly in agreement once again to her. Vegeta closed his exhausted eyes and gave back an equally worn out, lop-sided grin to the blue haired genius.

**Calm Before the Storm**

It would take forty minutes for the pair to drive back to the safety of their cliffside base at their currently slow pace. Bulma tried to take the easiest path to ensure Vegeta wouldn't be jostled and make his injuries worse. Yet at every bump or tight turn, the Saiyan groaned lightly as he rested heavily against her back, his head lolling slightly on her shoulder. Seeing the outline of the cliffs not more than a kilometer away, Bulma's cheek grazed his nose as she turned her head to speak to him.

" **We're almost there. How are you holding up?** " She asked and watched his tired eyes barely open with a soft grunt. She laughed airily and grinned at him with a cheeky smile. " **That good huh? Well, how 'bout we patch you up? Then you can take a shower while I figure out something for us to eat before we crash.** "

Pulling to a stop just outside the cave entrance, Bulma kicked her bike stand down, grabbed her jacket and belt from the storage compartment, and turned off the motor. She felt him move slowly to pull himself off her back with a weary groan. She quickly snapped her belt back on and shrug her wet jacket on over her shoulders. Bulma swung off her bike and slid her shoulder under Vegeta's uninjured arm and helped to prop him up as he moved off the bike and to the house. They slowly made their way to the C.C. door, her arms wrapped around his waist and forearm as he shuffled slowly. Kicking open the door after quickly turning the handle, Bulma guided the Saiyan prince to the kitchen table and lowered him into a chair gently. Vegeta huffed and leaned his head back against the top of the chair and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Pulling out her medic kit, as well as, picking up the one from the bathroom, Bulma un-capsuled the supplies and laid out what she would need to treat him on the kitchen table top.

" **Ok Badman, how's your pain right now? Don't even think about lying to me or I'll poke you till I get the truth.** " She asked with a teasing tone and looked to the Saiyan giving her a loopy grin. Pulling a chair up next to him with her injured foot, which the swelling had gone down considerably, Bulma shrugged off her wet jacket and and belt and slung them across the back of her chair. Sitting down with a sigh, she turned to help Vegeta pull his chest plate over his head.

" **Hn, it's tolerable. The morphine shot is making it easier to move for sure and the adrenaline is probably the only reason I'm still conscious at the moment.** " He said unabashedly as she helped pull his head through the bottom of his chest armor.

Pausing with his armor in her hands, she stared at the Saiyan in front of her with wide eyes. " **Wait a minute, was that a statement saying I did something helpful?** " She said with a fake gasp. Vegeta grunted a small chuckle as she placed the armor on the ground and reached to help him with his under armor. " **Who are you and what have you done with Prince Vegeta?** " Bulma snarked out as he let out a hiss with his arms having to move above his head to pull the under armor above his head. Tugging gently, Bulma pulled the armor free from the Saiyan's head as she smirked lightly at him. " **Maybe I ought to dope you up more often if you become this agreeable and charming.** " She joked half-heartedly as she stood to fold the armor and place it on the table for later.

Vegeta clicked his tongue and glared at her without any real heat. " **Woman, don't you dare! I hate substances that dull my senses enough as it is. You're lucky I let you even use what you did before.** " Huffing with indignation, Bulma swiftly turned around and placed her hands on her hips. Popping one hip to the side, she stood in a haughty pose and glared angrily at the Saiyan in front of her.

" **Lucky!?** " She barked out as she prodded his sternum with her pointer finger, the soft tip jolting the Saiyan to look up dumbfounded at her sudden ire. " **If it wasn't for me, BUSTER! You'd be worm food right now!** " Pulling her hand back suddenly, Bulma angrily grabbed some alcohol wipes and the adhesive tape. Moving to stand in front of Vegeta, she straddled his knees to clean up and bandage the damage done to his right shoulder. " **It's because of ME we are alive AND still have the Dragon Balls and the radar, you know!** " She grumbled out as she wiped the blood from his shoulder, checking the sealant patch job she made earlier. Vegeta's left hand gently held her hand still, and she looked into his dark gaze. There was a gentleness she hadn't seen before, almost as if he was letting down his guard and letting her in to see the real him.

" **I know...** " He worded softly, his eyes flickered to her hand in his. He watched as his own thumb brush over the back of her knuckles in one tentative swipe before letting go. He looked back up into her stunned cerulean irises and let out a deep breath. " **I _know_.**" He said with emphasis, his eyes trying to speak the gratefulness he felt in having her there, for having trusted her.

Bulma's heart thudded fast as she pulled her hand to her chest, blushing lightly at his words and gaze. ' _I guess that's as good as I'm gonna get as a thank you from him..._ ' She thought as her mind was still reeling from his actions earlier. She tried to gather herself together to respond back. " **O-oh, well...** " She stuttered out, before turning and pulling her chair to sit in front of him, her knees brushing against his lightly as she slipped his right leg between her legs to move closer to work. She didn't dare to meet his eyes with the hot flush she could feel creeping across her cheeks. She softly cleared her throat and continued to wipe away the blood and whispered " **You're welcome.** "

" **Hn,** " Vegeta grunted as he stared at the woman, taking in the color on her face and thinking how well it suited her. He could feel the affects of the morphine on his thoughts and words as he was much more transparent and unfiltered. However, instead of being ridiculed of what he said and having it thrown back or used against him, the woman seemed to be more agreeable, quiet even. He glanced over at her hands deftly working on his right shoulder, mesmerized by their movements.

" **So, any thoughts on how to deal with Zarbon?** " She asked as she placed the last adhesive bandage on his shoulder. Bulma used her fingers to push gently at the bone around his joint near his shoulder to feel for breaks or fractures. Vegeta hissed through his teeth as she hit a spot on his humerus that was fractured. Bulma looked up into his eyes as she gently prodded the same place and saw him wince.

" **Soon as I recover from my injuries I should get a power boost from my Saiyan genetics. Hopefully it will be enough to deal with that...what did you call him?** " He said with a lop-sided grin, and watched her grab a waterproof bandage to wrap around his right shoulder as a brace.

" **Frog-lips?** " She answered with a smirk.

" **No, the other one...** " He said with a sluggish shake of his head as his brows furrowed in concentration.

" **Swamp troll?** " She supplied as she firmly started to wrap his badly damaged, right shoulder.

" **Yes, swamp troll! Ha! Quite accurate.** " He chuckled to himself. Despite being beaten to a pulp, he was feeling pretty good.

Tightening the end of the bandage on his shoulder, Bulma smiled to herself. " **Man, I might have given you too strong of a dosage.** " Turning back to her kit she grabbed some more wipes and bandages. " **Alright, can you tell me where else you think you broke or fractured something?** " She asked and turned back around to look at him prodding his forearms.

" **Definitely have a clean break on a rib on my right. Possible breaks or fractures on the rest. Think my radius on both arms are largely fractured. Right is probably the worst.** " Vegeta stated as he went to check his legs for damage with his fingers. Wincing as he grazed his left tibia, he moved to his right leg and let out a pained gasp at the middle of his femur. He raised his eyes to meet her worried face, and slumped back in the chair with a tired groan. " **Left tibia sustained multiple small fractures, should heal after some rest. However, my right femur is completely broken all the way through.** " He said with a weary tone and held out his right arm for her to start to clean.

" **Kami, Vegeta. Is there anything on you that isn't broken or fractured?** " She voiced softly as her hands worked quickly and gently to wrap his forearm. His silence had Bulma look up briefly to see his face contort into a scowl as he rested his chin on his fist, elbow braced on the table. He could barely feel the throb in his head and knew he'd probably have a major migraine after the painkiller wore off.

Shrugging his left shoulder and raising his eyebrows up, the Saiyan growled out his reply. " **My hands? Feet too, and jaw...** " He cut off before scowling again. " **No wait, that hurts too.** " He mumbled as he rubbed the bottom of his chin gingerly where Zarbon kicked him hard, twice.

Bulma sighed and grabbed his left hand pulling his arm straight gently to clean and bandage it. Vegeta shifted his gaze to the woman's face as she rubbed her soft digits across his scarred skin to feel out the exact location of the break. Her touch sent a shiver up his spine and made him want to flex his hand to try and rid himself of the tingling, electric feeling it left on his skin. He watched her eyebrows furrow and her frown deepen when she pressed the spot that made him grunt quietly in pain. She continued her work in silence, sticking a finger under each of the wraps to see if she wound it too tight before moving back to grab more alcohol wipes from the table.

Shifting back to face him, she placed her hand under his elbows and pressed up gently while catching his gaze and speaking firmly. " **Arms up as much as you can, I need to clean and wrap your ribs. I guess I should check if your broken rib needs to be set right too...** " She thought out loud and tilted her head to the left to get a better look at his right side.

Vegeta grunted as he tried to raise his arms up above his heart and give her room to work. She gently pressed her finger tips to his ribs and felt around for the broken rib, she found it poking out just three inches under his armpit. Growling loudly, the Saiyan fisted his left hand and banged it on the table firmly. This startled Bulma into straightening up and exclaiming an apology.

" **Shit, sorry! It's out of place and I'm gonna need to press it back if I want to wrap it up right...** " She looked up to see him gritting his teeth as he looked down at the ground. He nodded curtly. Quickly using the wipes to gently clean his ribs and chest, Bulma tossed it back on the table and started wrapping tightly under his arms. Her chin and cheek pressed up against his shoulder each time she went to wrap the bandage around behind him. When she reached the spot of his broken rib, Bulma gently pressed it into place and worked as quickly as possible. Vegeta hissed out deep breaths through his teeth as the pain came in waves through his morphine drugged haze. She ended the bandage near the back and tucked the end near his spine, checking to see if it stayed in place.

" **How's that? Too tight? I don't want you having trouble breathing more than you already do.** " Bulma met his eyes as he huffed out shakily, gesturing no with his head as he sat up back in the chair with care. Vegeta checked over her work with a Veteran's eye, testing his movement, and nodded with satisfaction.

" **Not bad work. I suppose you've done this before?** " He stated matter-of-factly. She nodded and reached to wipe his brow clean of blood, checking the wound on his forehead. Seeing the cut had already stopped bleeding and started to heal, she tore off a strip of her adhesive second-skin bandage and placed it over the cut to help speed up the process.

" **Yeah, we didn't always have Senzu beans, and I've been hanging out with the Z-fighters and Goku for a long time honing my skills.** " She said with a one-sided smirk, shifting his face from side to side gently to look at the bruise forming on the bottom of his jaw. " **Besides, they take quite a long time to grow so they aren't always available. Being able to do the best I can till then has been essential.** " Moving her eyes to his, Bulma gauged his reactions as she pressed her fingers gently under his chin. She wanted to test to see if he fractured it or if the bruising was bad enough to need ointment. " **How about here?** " She asked, moving her head closer, her face only inches from his causing him to blush lightly.

" **It's fine, woman! Are you finished? I need to wash, change, and eat before my three hours are up.** " His gruff voice ground out, as he pulled her hand away and averted his eyes from her questioning stare. She sat back and crossed her arms with a sigh.

" **Not really, but I guess you should get cleaned up and changed before I tend to the fractures on your legs. If you stand and walk slowly, I guess it can't get much worse than it already is.** " She said as she stood up and waited next to him to offer her help if needed.

Vegeta groaned softly as he pulled himself out of the chair with his left hand on the table. He turned to hobble to the bathroom, glancing to see the woman following closely next to his left side. The proud Saiyan got to the door of the bedroom before he paused to lean on it's frame and catch his breath. Bulma slid past him and gently patted his shoulder reassuringly, as if to say if he needed help to just ask. She pulled out one of the drawers in a dresser and rummaged through a few of the clothes. Pulling out another drawer, Bulma fished out a pair of comfy, black basketball shorts and a soft, grey T-shirt.

" **I don't think we have anything like your armor that will fit you, but hopefully this should work for now. Your bandages are waterproof so no worries about getting them wet.** " She spoke over her shoulder as she placed them on the sink counter in the bathroom and turned on the water for him. Turning around to address him, she jumped slightly as he had moved to the bathroom door without a sound and propped himself against the frame. " **Kami! You're like a ninja!** " She said placing her hand over her racing heart and releasing a deep breath.

" **A what?** " Vegeta asked back with a tilt to his head.

" **Nevermind, you gonna need any help with anything else or are you good to go?** " She asked without thinking, placing her hands on her hips and giving him one final look-over.

" **Tsk! I'm not a child, I can take care of undressing myself!** " He snapped back as the blood rushed to the tips of his ears. Bulma fought down her own blush as she realized what she had inadvertently proposed and moved to slip past him.

" **Uh, right! Sorry, I didn't mean...nevermind! I'll just uh...get started on something to eat.** " She sputtered out as her breasts lightly brushed his left shoulder in their passing of each other. She shut the door behind her without a second glance, and heard him murmur under his breath " **vulgar woman.** " She raised a hand to her cheeks and felt how warm they were to the touch. Slapping both her cheeks lightly, Bulma tried to collect herself and muttered " **get it together girl!** " Flirting was one thing, but trying to make a move or suggesting something more with the Saiyan was more than she felt comfortable with in this situation. Hearing the shower door open and shut behind her, Bulma hastily walked to the kitchen before she could get a nosebleed by staying there and imagining what a naked, wet Vegeta would look like.

Busying herself with looking through the capsule pantry, Bulma let her thoughts wander as she went through the motions of readying five large pizzas to be cooked. Deciding to be safe and stick to meat lover's toppings, with one Hawaiian for herself, she readied the oven and waited for it to finish pre-heating.

' _He's really cute when he blushes like that, and I would be lying if I said he didn't have a killer bod, literally._ ' She thought, biting her bottom lip lightly as she stared at the timer, not even really taking in its countdown. ' _When he's in a good mood or playful, he's not all that bad honestly...and that smile..._ ' She sighed softly and was shaken out of her thoughts by a steady beeping of the oven.

Popping open the doors she slid all five pizzas in and closed the large oven door, setting the timer to twenty-five minutes. Getting out two tea kettles, Bulma proceeded to fill them up at the sink and set them down to boil on the stove-top. Pulling out an assortment of tea bags and two large cups, she set them in the middle of the kitchen table. Hastily cleaning up the medical supplies, except for the bandage for Vegeta's leg, Bulma re-capsulated them. She then went to the sink to try and make a dent in the ever growing pile of dishes.

' _Something's changed in him after his fight with Zarbon, and what's with that look in his eyes earlier. It's like some of his walls are coming down, and I'm seeing the man behind all that pride._ ' Her mind voiced as she mechanically cleaned the caked-on food off the dishes and stacked them in the washer. ' _There is more to him than just some prideful, psychotic, killing machine, I can see that now. The question is...will he trust me enough to let me in._ ' She paused mid swipe as her mind bawked at what she just implied. ' _Oh my Kami! Do I really want him to?!_ ' Her shoulders slumped as she sighed and lifted her head up to the ceiling, closing her eyes in defeat. ' _Fuck, who am I kidding? Of course I do! Damn it! I'm already in too deep when it comes to him..._ '

Sighing again, Bulma tilted her head back down to the dishes in the sink and pulled a wet, soapy hand from the water. Rubbing her forehead, she closed her eyes and whispered under her breath. " **I'm so in trouble...** "

Vegeta rested his tired head against the tile wall as the sting from the hot water ran over uncovered cuts and bruises on his skin. The morphine, as well as the adrenaline, was starting to wear off slowly due to his Saiyan metabolism. He closed his eyes and thought of the events of the last eight hours, both shame and relief swept through him. Vegeta was ashamed of letting Zarbon trick him like that. Using a Saiyan's natural desire for a challenge, to be competitive in battle, almost got him defeated. Having jumped at the chance for a worthy battle without a second thought, he had almost cost them everything.

' _If it wasn't for the woman, I'd be dead or worse. Frieza would have her, the radar, and the Dragon Balls we collected as well._ ' He thought grimly as he ran a hand through his wet hair. ' _And to make matters worse, soon we'll have Ginyu and his buffoons to deal with..._ '

Sighing as he straightened his stance, Vegeta turned the handle and shut off the water. Careful with his steps, he lumbered out of the shower and heated his body with his Ki to dry off. With some effort and grunting, he slipped on the clothes given to him by the woman earlier. The T-shirt was a bit difficult to put on with his injuries but the soft and stretchy material fit snugly over his shoulder and chest. The basketball shorts fit loosely around his thighs, and he had to tie the string at his waist to keep them from sliding off his narrow hips. He wore them low on his waist, allowing for his tail stub to peek out over the material in the back. The airy feeling he got as he walked felt foreign to the Saiyan as he was used to being in skin tight battle armor. However, He found it wasn't entirely unpleasant as Vegeta hobbled his way back to the table.

A delicious smell permeated the room and made the Saiyan's mouth water as his stomach rumbled in protest. Sitting back in his chair from before, Vegeta looked around for the source of the aroma. His eyes caught sight of the woman's profile as she stared absent-mindedly at the wall, her hands slowly cleaning a large soup pot. Her face was flushed and her gaze unfocused, as if lost in thought. Vegeta took a few moments to just watch her unobserved with unguarded eyes.

' _She really is a gorgeous creature..._ ' He thought with a blush, and cleared his throat uncomfortably as he called out to her. " **Woman...** "

" **Huh, what?** " Bulma said with a start as she snapped back to reality and dropped the pot she held into the water with a splash. " **SHIT!** " She exclaimed with a sigh as she looked down at the soapy water that covered her chest from the action. " **Great, just great Bulma. Way to go.** " She mumbled to herself as she tried to clean the soap bubbles from her armor and shake off the remaining water on her hands.

Glancing over at the table, she saw the prince slouching in his chair and smirked at her. " **You shouldn't sneak up like that and scare a lady half to death, ya know!** " She snapped at him and walked over to sit in the chair next to him. Grabbing the bandage, she bent over his right leg and pulled up the end of his shorts to reveal his already bruised thigh.

" **How is it MY fault you fail to be aware of your surroundings? Honestly woman, you wouldn't last three minutes on the battlefield.** " He grouched back and held his right pant leg up for her as she started to gently prod and bandage his leg. She glared up at him, and tightly yanked the bandage around his leg as she finished, causing him to hiss out. Vegeta growled under his breath at her as she stood up and ignored his intimidating stare.

" **Well, EX-CUSE me! I should be able to think in the safety of my own base!** " She barked out and placed her hands on her hips. Bulma took a quick look at the timer on the oven and saw they still had fifteen minutes before the food was done. Hearing the water for the kettles go off, Bulma went to grab the two pots and brought them over to the table. She set them down in the middle of the table, grabbed one of the cups and an earl gray tea bag from the assortment, and made herself a cup of tea. Glancing up at the Saiyan next to her, she saw him watch her movements with a curious eye.

" **Pick anything you like from that box and pour some water into the cup with a teabag. You're gonna need to let it steep and cool down before you drink it though.** " Bulma said casually, as she saw Vegeta hold up the box to his nose and sniff at the selection. He scrunched up his nose at a few selections and decided on a Saigon Chai, made of spices that were familiar to his senses. Smiling lightly and raising her eyebrows, Bulma opened the packet he chose and poured the water into his cup with the chosen teabag. " **Interesting choice, I wouldn't have pegged you as a 'strong spices and flavors' type of guy.** "

" **Hn, there's a few scents there that are similar to spices I can remember back on Vegetsai.** " Vegeta said softly as he saw steam from his cup float upward. The teabag was slowly changing the color of the water to a reddish brown. There were only a few memories, words, and scents he remembered from his childhood before Frieza. The feel and sight of the warm, red, sandy earth of Vegetsai. The spicy, strong aromas of the royal palace's kitchen and savory flavors from feasts after a decisive victory. His mother's smiling face as she sung a lullaby while combing her fingers through his hair as a young child. Those were some of his favorite memories, that and learning to fight under the tutelage of Nappa or his father, the King. Holding his steaming cup in his hands, Vegeta stared, lost in thought, as he remembered more fuzzy images and words from his early childhood.

" **-geta...Vegeta!** " The woman's voice snapped him back to the present and he looked up with a scowl. " **Lost you there for a minute, huh? Your tea should be ready.** " She said placing her chin on her fist, and reached out her hand when he looked back at her with a blank stare. " **Here...** " Taking the handle of the cup, she slid it closer and pulled the bag out. Bulma let it drip dry before tossing it on a saucer plate with her own discarded teabag. Sliding the cup back to his waiting hands, she picked her own cup up and took a test sip. " **You probably didn't hear me before, but I asked you a question. About planet Vegeta...** "

Clicking his tongue and avoiding her piercing eyes, he took his cup and brought it to his lips. Subtly taking a sniff of the aroma coming from the liquid, his voice gruffed out a response. " **What about it?** "

Lowering her cup slightly, Bulma tapped her fingers against it lightly in thought before answering. " **I just wanted to know about it. I mean, whatever you are willing to share. About what it was like, or even what it looked like. Anything really since...** " She suddenly stopped talking, her voice stilling as she looked down into her tea.

He took a sip of his own tea, the hot liquid lightly burning down his throat. It truly reminded him of walking through the bazaar where the lower class Saiyans sold their spiced wares. Although, he could vaguely remember being in his mother's arms with the distant memory. Smiling at remembering the moment, Vegeta took his time before blowing lightly and cooling his tea for another drink.

" **Wow...** " Bulma said unconsciously at his gentle, disarming smile. He looked up at her from over the rim of his cup and raised one eyebrow questioningly. " **I take it you like it?** " She asked, and he grunted softly before taking another long sip. " **You don't have to tell me about anything you know, but that must be one hell of a memory to make you smile like that.** " She said laughing softly with a wink and brought her own cup to her lips, grinning at him. The Saiyan blushed and shifted his weight in his seat, coughing in his hand.

" **Another time perhaps...** " He said in his gruff voice and looked to the oven where he had deduced the smell was coming from. " **How much longer?** " He said and nodded toward the oven with his head. Bulma turned her head and squinted at the timer, seeing there was only about eight minutes left. Standing up she shuffled over to the oven door and pulled it open minutely to check on the pizzas. They looked done enough, just barely golden brown around the edges. Bulma turned off the timer on the oven and opened the door fully. The heat with the scent of the pizzas wafted out and hit her smack in the face as she slipped on her oven mitts and pulled them out one by one. Grabbing the Hawaiian and the Meat Lover's Delight while leaving three more cooling on the stovetop, Bulma walked over to the kitchen table and set them down on large coasters.

" **I guess they're done. They need a few minutes to cool down and then I'll be able to cut into them.** " She said as she pulled off her oven mitts and looked at the Saiyan's awestruck face. Vegeta closed his eyes and breathed in heavily to take in the mouth-watering aroma, wiping his hand over his jaw his eyes snapped to hers with a hunger his stomach echoed out loud. Bulma smiled cheekily, shook her head, and went to go grab the cutter, speaking over her shoulder as she extracted it from a drawer. " **Five minutes, Vegeta. Otherwise it will burn your mouth and make a damned mess!** " Turning back around she walked to the table and placed the pizza slicer in between the two dishes. She sat down in her chair and watched the Saiyan prince glare hungrily at the meat topped pizza.

" **What is this anyways?** " He asked as he took another long sniff. Bulma grabbed her tea and sipped before answering.

" **Pizza. Yours is called Meat lovers and mine is Hawaiian. Yours has four different meats on it as well as green peppers, onions, and olives. Mine is just ham and pineapple.** " She said cheerfully as she pointed out the two pizzas and their ingredients as she mentioned them. " **The basic idea of a pizza is dough, tomato sauce, and cheese. Then you can pretty much add whatever toppings you want to it.** " She said casually and rested her chin on her open hand while taking the last few sips of her tea. Vegeta nodded as if he understood and picked up the cutter, he held it up and inquisitively raised an eyebrow at her.

" **That's a pizza cutter, it's a device you can use to cut the pizza into slices to eat. Like this...** " Bulma reached over and took the device from his hand, brushing her fingers over his and stood to cut his pizza into slices. The pizza was still hot and gooey, but she was able to still press through and cut it into pieces. Taking his plate she carefully slid a few piping hot slices onto it, hissing out and removing her burnt fingers. " **Damn, it's still hot, so be careful.** " She said quickly before sticking her injured fingers in her mouth to soothe the tender skin. Looking at the clock, she saw he only had less than forty minutes before the adrenaline wore off. She swiped a fork and knife and handed them to him, " **Here, If you can handle the temperature you should get to eating before you crash.** "

He grunted and began to work at cutting the slices into bite-sized pieces and ate them with gusto, breathing out the steam in his mouth as his eyes lit up with each bite. Bulma turned back to cutting him more slices and pulled them onto his plate when he emptied it. Vegeta took only ten minutes before his entire pizza was gone and Bulma went to get another from the stovetop. Setting it down in place of the other, she was beaten to the cutter by his hand. He sliced two large pieces of the Hawaiian and placed it on her own plate as he slid it in front of her, grunting softly.

" **Eat woman, or their might not be any left when I'm finished.** " He refused to look up as he sliced more pieces and slapped them onto his plate, deciding to use his hands and ditch the utensils. Bulma hummed and hid her grin with her hair as she tilted her head down to eat. She finished her two slices just as Vegeta demolished a whole pizza, and Bulma went to stand to grab himself another. He stood before she got up out of the chair and gently pushed her back into her seat by her shoulder. " **Sit...** " He commanded and slid another piece of Hawaiian onto her plate, grunting before turning and grabbing another large pizza.

Bulma smiled at his back and went to pour them more tea, grabbing them each two new teabags of the same kind. He sat down with his new pizza in front of him, not even bothering with plating, and used the cutter to slice pieces to eat straight from the pan. Finishing her third slice, she sat back with a sigh and stretched her arms above her head. Vegeta paused in eating and gave her a questioning look, she shook her head and said " **I'm good.** " He nodded, grabbed the Hawaiian, and started to slice into it. Bulma grabbed the teabag from his cup again and slid the steeped tea into his open hand. They finished the rest of their meal in silence, Bulma occasionally pouring more water for their tea and Vegeta getting up to get the last pizza.

Bulma watched on as Vegeta slowed down his pace and started to nod off in between bites. She looked at the clock and saw that his time was almost up. Standing up with a sigh, she moved to help pull the rapidly fading Saiyan out of his chair. " **Leave it, Vegeta. I can always reheat it when you wake. Right now we need to get you into bed before you completely crash. There's no way I can get you to the bed all by myself if you fall asleep here!** " She laughed out as his tired grumpy face harrumphed at her.

They shambled together as she led him to the King sized bed, and she left him propped up against the armchair next to the nightstand. Pulling back the sheets, Bulma helped him to sit on the bed. " **Shirt...** " He grumbled as he fumbled with the bottom edge of his t-shirt and she had to bite her bottom lip to hold back her laugh at his cute, sleepy movements. She helped him remove his shirt and the Saiyan slumped back against the pillows, sighing as he sunk into the bed. Bulma pulled up his legs one at a time, tucking them under the covers, and pulled up the sheets to his chest. She glanced down as he struggled to keep his eyes open and she ran a hand through his hair. Her fingertips gently pressing against his scalp, causing his eyes to briefly snap open in surprise.

" **Get some rest, Vegeta. I'll be up a while longer, so if you need anything I'm just in the next room, okay?** " Bulma said as she pulled her hand back with a blush and reached out to turn off the light. Walking to the door, she turned to look back and see the Saiyan's eyes flutter closed. " **Thank you, Vegeta. You did good today.** " She said softly. Vegeta wanted to argue back but his words were lost in mumbles as the world around him faded to black. He heard the gentle click of the door close behind her as the woman left.

Bulma sighed heavily and made her way to the kitchen to capsule the leftover pizza. She spent the next ten minutes cleaning the dirty dishes and pans, and started the dishwasher. Dusting her hands off, she glanced over the room, satisfied with her work. Catching sight of her backpack on the work table, Bulma grabbed her utility belt and placed it on top of the desk and pulled out her radar and scouter. Digging around in her backpack, she pulled out her C.C. brand phone and charger and plugged it in to charge. Bulma decided she really needed a shower, a change of clothes, and maybe a quick nap before she would work on the wet equipment. Cracking open the outer casings of both the scouter and radar, she placed them out in the open to dry as much as possible before turning and heading back to the bedroom.

Turning the handle as quietly as she could, Bulma peeked her head in to check on the sleeping Saiyan. Seeing his still form only raising slightly from his deep breaths, she tiptoed past him into the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the door gently and turned the water on for a shower. She quickly shed her armor and jumped in the steaming water, groaning out a sigh as the hot water did wonders for her achingly sore muscles. Bulma lathered up with haste, trying to make her shower as short as possible, so as not to wake Vegeta. Ten minutes later, she turned off the water and toweled off. Realizing too late that she forgot a change of clothes, she swore lightly under her breath and wrapped her damp towel snugly around her chest. Cracking open the door slightly, Bulma checked to see Vegeta still fast asleep, the light coming from the bathroom door fell across his face. Stepping over to another chest of drawers, she quietly rummaged through it for clothes only to find her mom's old lingerie: a pair of black booty shorts, the bottoms and sides were cut-out and framed with lace, and a light-blue tank top that had been cut off mid waist. Bulma huffed her annoyance and slipped them under an arm. 

' _It'll have to do for now..._ ' She thought as she slid the drawer shut slowly and tiptoed back into the bathroom. Changing with haste, she shut the light off and made her way to the living area with her and Vegeta's dirty armor in hand, shutting the bedroom door once again. Bulma tossed both their armor, minus his ripped top part, into the wash and searched the linens for a thick blanket to use. Grabbing a soft, dark-blue flannel blanket, Bulma hit the lights and went to crash on the couch for a few hours to get some much needed rest. As she settled down with one of the plush couch pillows, she brought the blanket up to her chest and sighed contently. It only took a few minutes before, exhausted from the day, Bulma slipped into a deep sleep.

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It was raining hard, the water acted like a curtain obscuring her vision as she ran barefoot in the back alleyways. Everything looked the same, gray brick walls and worn out green dumpsters with trash cans littering her path. A crash of lighting lit up the sky, allowing her to see a fork in the alleyway. Something about all of this seemed so familiar in a horrid way. She felt a shiver run down her spine and she couldn't suppress a feeling of foreboding. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck in a clumped, wet braid as she quickly glanced around to see if she had been followed. Male shouts and hooting echoed off the walls and she swiveled her head back to the paths in front of her. Something in the back of her mind warned her about being caught by the West City Rat gang and she dashed to her right. Breathing in heavy gasps, her bare feet splashed dirty alley water all over her bare legs as she neared an opening to the street.

' _Almost free! Just a little further..._ ' She thought with ecstatic relief. Her lungs and legs burned as she pushed herself to make the last few steps to safety. Then it happened, a stinging pain in her shoulder that bordered on excruciating as electricity jolted through her body. Her legs locked up and she fell forward with a scream onto her hands and knees, bloodily scrapping them against the pavement. There was a brief pause while she caught her breath, then the jolt of electricity ran through her whole body again, causing her to spasm uncontrollably. She could hear her screams ping off the walls as an evil, high-pitched laugh slowly made its way to her side.

" **Ah ah AH! You didn't think you could run from us did you? Little bitch!** " The man's high voice spoke with a teasing, sinister tone and he kicked her in her stomach to roll her onto her back. She grunted in pain as the rain fell down onto her face, and a dark shadow crossed over into her vision. His golden colored eyes reflected in the light of a dimly lit lamp post and his long, dirty-blond, wet hair clumped in strands around his face and shoulders.

He held up the stun gun that she had dropped when she used it on a gang member earlier and clicked the trigger to give her another dosage of electricity. She screamed out in agony as her body spasmed and shook. She could barely see through her tears as he crouched down next to her with a maniacal grin and a glint in his eyes. In his other hand he held up a machinist's hammer, with a rubber coating on the large flat side, for her to see.

" **It's time to teach you a lesson you won't soon forget, Ms. Briefs.** " He said with a diabolical laugh, his golden eyes blazed as his teeth flashed white against the shadows of his face. Raising the hammer in the air, it glinted menacingly against the dark sky before crashing down on her leg with a sickening crunch. Bulma scrunched her eyes tight and screamed through gritted teeth, tears streaming down her face as the pain blazed through her leg and mind like wild fire. Time seemed to slow down as the man took his time breaking the bones in her legs, she whimpered out her breaths through bloody, bitten lips. Each strike was direct and he waited for her screams of pain to stop before continuing his work. When he was sure her legs were useless, he glanced over to see her eyes glaze over as she started to black out from the pain.

" **Oh no you don't...** " He growled out threateningly before he grabbed the gun and clicked it to shock her painfully awake. " **We aren't don't yet, not by a long shot baby! We'll keep going till I have you begging me for mercy.** " He laughed out and the sound of other men's laughter reverberated off the walls around them.

" **Yeah show her who's boss!** " A nasally one said.

" **Why don't you give me ten minutes with her boss, I'll get her begging for sure!** " Another groaned out in a lusty tone.

" **Quiet! You know the rules! No damage to the face and no sexual acts! Last thing we need is coppers getting our DNA and tying us to this.** " The man with golden eyes snapped back as he glared at the men in shadows. Their laughs died instantly and he shifted his focus back on her. " **Now then, where were we? Oh yes...You were about to beg me for mercy.** " He cackled as he raised the hammer once again to slam it down on her left arm.

" **Fuck you! You inbred piece of street trash!** " She hissed out before collecting her bloodied spit and hocking it at his face. It landed on his cheek and dripped down his mouth to his chin. Taking the back of his hand, he wiped at it and grinned so widely she thought his face would split.

" **Oh goody! You do have some fire left in you. I'm gonna enjoy breaking you, literally!** " She screamed out as the hammer came down on her arm. Her screams filled the air as the night progressed and she no longer had the strength to contain them. Yet, she refused to beg for him to stop. When he asked after shocking her awake each time if she was ready, she would tell him to go fuck himself or scream out " **NO!** " He had moved to her ribs, her collarbone, even her hips before he pulled back huffing with exhaustion.

Tears were streaming freely down her face, mixing with the light drizzle of the rain that had let up over the five hours he spent torturing her. Her breaths coming in rasps as her entire body hurt. Soon, it would become numb from the shock. She could barely hear over the mumbling of the men around her as she started to slip away again. Gathering the last of her strength, she shouted out through bloodied lips.

" **If you're going to kill me, just get it over with you dickless bitch! Or do you not have the balls?** " She knew antagonizing them was probably not the smart thing to do, but one way or another, Bulma wanted this to end. She was done with the pain, and fighting to stay strong. She just wanted it all to be over.

" **No Johnny think about it man! you said...** " The nasally voice said before the man with golden eyes cut him off.

" **I KNOW WHAT I SAID! I'm gonna shut this bitch up once and for all, and I'm gonna get some enjoyment while I'm at it.** " He yelled out with glee as he unbuckled his belt, his knees on either side of her head. Her eyes shot wide with fear as he moved to grab himself inside his pants and pull his dick out.

" **No....NO!** " She shouted and turned her head to the side as much as she could before his hand grabbed her jaw and forced her to look back. The back of his thighs pressed down hard on her shoulders, digging into her broken collar bones and forced her to scream out in pain. A grotesque, pustule, hunk of flesh grew closer to her, oozing puss at its open wounds. She thrashed with all her might, her broken limbs forgotten in the moment. " **GET THE FUCK OFF ME! I SAID NO!!** " She screamed out in desperate cries, as something grabbed and shook her shoulders hard. She squinted her eyes closed tight as she felt the slimy, fleshy tip run across her bottom lip.

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" **-oman....BULMA!** " A deep, gravelly voice shouted out her name as she kicked her legs out and came to. Sitting straight up, she took deep shaking gasps as her whole body trembled uncontrollably. Her eyes tried to focus on the image in front of her as her heart beat violently in her chest. Vegeta was staring at her, his wide eyes full of concern as his jaw clenched and ticked. He had either hand gently on her shoulders and she assumed he had shaken her to wake her up from her nightmare.

" **Vegeta?** " She rasped out, her voice feeling torn and horse. " **What's wrong?** " The Saiyan ran a frustrated hand though his ruffled, flame-shaped hair as he growled out in frustration. His eyes turned to dark fire as he sat back on the couch, Bulma's knees curled up to her chest in defense.

" **That's what _I_ want to know!**" He said with a tired, raised voice. He grit his teeth as he ran a hand over his tired features. " **I wake to screaming like someone was getting gutted alive and come out to see you thrashing about! You were crying and screaming out 'No' in your sleep and when I tried to wake you, you convulsed.** " Vegeta glanced worriedly at the woman as he spoke, seeing her tear stained face staring down at her feet in silence as her hands fisted tightly in the blanket.

" **I'm sorry.** " She whispered and a new batch of tears threatened to spill over her lashes. " **I didn't mean to wake you...** "

Vegeta tilted his head back against the couch and sighed heavily. Groaning low in his chest, he rubbed his eyes and gently voiced out " **Woman...** " She chanced to look at him and saw his tired eyes soften as he gazed back. " **That's not what I meant.** " Huffing in frustration, he leaned over as much as he could with his damaged ribs and stretched his left arm across the back of the couch.

Bulma cleared her throat lightly and spoke. " **I'm okay now, it was just a nightmare Vegeta. I used to have them a lot when I was younger.** " Vegeta's disbelieving face stared straight back at her, he raised one eyebrow skeptically and replied.

" **Yeah, it sounded a lot more than ' _just a nightmare_ ' to me.**" He said as he watched her fiddle with her hands, picking at her nails in her lap. Shrugging her shoulders, Bulma didn't dare lift her eyes as she told a bit more of what had actually transpired.

" **I just dreamt about something that happened when I was 14. I guess Zarbon just reminded me of the leader of a gang that kidnapped me.** " She paused and shook her head thinking better on saying anymore. " **It happened so long ago I rarely dream about it anymore except...** " She said in a whisper as she placed her chin on her knees, staring off past him into some unknown place. Vegeta sat in silence as he watched her slowly come back to herself, her voice hollow as she spoke. " **Thanks for waking me from it. I'm sorry you had to see that...** "

The Saiyan grumbled and side-eyed the blue haired beauty, her hands were still shaking and he could still smell pure terror clinging to her as her fast paced heart thumped out to his Saiyan ears. He sat next to her and waited impatiently, for a sign or word on what to do, as Bulma gathered herself. Eventually, the scent of fear slowly left her. He felt worn out and battered, the drugs had worn off in his sleep and his whole body throbbed painfully. When he woke to her screams, his blood froze in his veins and he never moved so fast out of bed before. When he reached her, Vegeta was chilled by the pain and anguish he saw etched in her face as he realized she was reliving her past. He had called out to her many times, but it was the use of her name that finally woke her. He grimaced as he thought back to her words after he had defeated Dodoria, ' _ **"Five hours can feel like an eternity..."**_ '

Snarling at his inability to know anything to alleviate the situation, Vegeta stood up and moved to go back to the bedroom. " **We should both try and get more sleep.** " He growled out before stopping dead in the doorway at her loud yelp of " **No!** " Turning to face her with surprise, he saw her quickly shutter her fear behind a false reassuring smile.

" **I mean, I'm gonna stay up for a bit and get some work done. If I tried to go back to bed now I'd probably slip back into another nightmare**." She said with a humorless laugh and stood up as she folded the blanket and placed it on the back of the couch. She moved around the couch, unaware of his observing stare, and moved to get her tools and belt from the work desk. " **Man, I kinda wish Goku was here though. He was the best, back in the day, for getting rid of my nightmares.** " She said pausing at the back of a chair at the kitchen table in thought with a sad smile across her lips.

Vegeta crossed his arms in a pained huffed, forgetting that his ribs were still mending, and grabbed the woman's attention with a cynical laugh. " **What does that clown have to do with anything?** " He watched the woman turn toward him with a small smile that seemed more genuine, since she woke, then any before. His inward Saiyan competitively growled out angrily at the thought that the third class joke of a warrior was the cause.

" **He was the first to witness my nightmares. Back then, we used to have sleepovers and he would stay with me to ensure I wouldn't slip back into them.** " She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed soothingly at one shoulder. " **He always managed to make me feel safe, that no one would hurt me while he was around.** " she said tenderly as she reminisced.

Vegeta bristled as his lip curled up in disgust, his blood boiled at the thought of the woman speaking such fond words toward the other Saiyan. He didn't know why and if he was in his right mind he would have beaten himself to a bloody pulp for what he did next. Walking over without thinking, Vegeta grabbed the woman's hand in his and lightly, yet firmly, pulled her to the bedroom. " **Woman, do you feel safe with me?** " He gruffed out over his shoulder as she stumbled after him. At her silence, he paused in the door frame and looked back over his shoulder with an eyebrow cocked. " **Well, do you?** "

" **I guess...I mean, yes I do.** " She muttered before looking down embarrassingly at their hands. She saw his large calloused hand holding hers softly, protectively. He grunted out his satisfaction at her answer and tugged gently again on her hand pulling them into the bedroom and sat himself down in the lone armchair near the nightstand.

" **Good, then I will do what is needed for this 'sleepover' then we can both go back to bed and get some much needed rest. You don't need that fool for it if you have me.** " He said smugly and leaned back in his chair pleased with his idea. He watched as the woman stared back at him for a moment, stunned, before she bowled over clenching her stomach and started laughing. Her actions baffled him and he looked on as she collapsed on the bed rolling on her back kicking her feet in the air while laughing. Finally able to collect himself, he stood up and growled out " **Woman...** " in warning.

" **Sor-ry ha, sorry.** " She breathed out through laughter and wiped her eyes as she sat up to face him. Her bright and cheerful smile reached her sparkling eyes and stole his breath away. " **Man I needed that, thanks Vegeta. I didn't think you would get competitive over Goku like that.** " She winked at the Saiyan and he huffed out and clenched his fists with a small blush. " **Do you even know what a 'sleepover' is?** " She asked teasingly. His silence confirmed it to her that he had no idea. " **It's when two or more people share a bed together when they sleep, cuddled under the covers and everything.** " She said as her eyes danced with humor. Bulma watch the Saiyan's eyes widen with apprehension and his throat bob with a swallow. " **Goku use to snuggle up close with me to keep me warm and wrap his tail around me to make me feel safe. He was only twelve at the time but it was the sweetest thing...** " She said and stopped talking at Vegeta's choked gasp and watched the nuclear blush spread from his face to his ears.

" **I-I, wha-what...I me-mean...** " He stuttered out before closing his eyes. He took a deep breath before opening them and firmly shouted out. " **H-how vu-vulgar! Th-that is the stupidest thing I've heard of!** " He choked out and turned his face to try and hide some of his raging blush. " **What Kakarrot did goes against Saiyan propriety! Even if he was a child at the time!** " He growled out and clicked his tongue in agitation. Leaning back on her hands, Bulma crossed one leg over the other and tilted her head to one side.

" **Why is that? Are Saiyans not suppose to use their tails to comfort others or something?** " She asked innocently as she saw his blush spread down his neck.

Vegeta crossed his arms gingerly and huffed out while trying not to look fully at her. " **Never you mind that woman. Point is, I'm not doing... _that_.**" He averted his eyes as he said the last word and cleared his throat awkwardly. Bulma smiled mischievously and leaned forward to stand up and shrug her shoulders with her palms in the air.

" **Oh? Is that so? I didn't think you were afraid of anything Vegeta, especially of little ol' me.** " She said with a snicker and waggled her eyebrows at him teasingly as he turned to glare at her open challenge. Vegeta took two powerful steps towards her, placing himself inches from her face as he narrowed his eyes at her.

" **I'm afraid of nothing, woman...** " He said with a low tone that rumbled in his chest and gave her goosebumps across her skin. Shifting his eyes to the bed, he hesitated for a heartbeat before he sat down and slid in on his back. Bulma watched with a giddy smirk before his eyes met hers and he barked out embarrassingly. " **Well what are you waiting for?! Hurry up and get the damned thing over with!** "

Bulma bit her lip to stifle her squeal as the prince looked so insanely cute, all bashful and flustered. Acting quickly, she climbed over his legs, mindful of his injuries, and plopped down next to him. Snuggling under the covers, Bulma slid close to him until she could just about feel the warmth that his skin was radiating. She frowned slightly and he turned his face to see her pensive gaze.

" **What?** " He ground out and her cerulean eyes snapped up to his.

" **You don't have a tail...** " She said matter-of-factly. He snorted and turned his head to look straight up at he ceiling as the statement was obvious. His head swiveled back to hers as he felt her soft fingers thread through his right hand and she gently pulled it up to her face. He gawked at her as she smiled in victory, sliding her other hand on top of their entwined fingers. " **I guess this is good enough. Goodnight Vegeta.** " She said quietly, her breath ghosting over the back of his hand as she closed her eyes. He felt her plush lips graze over his knuckles as she snuggled deeper into the covers with a sigh. Vegeta's breath stilled in his chest as he watched her slowly slip into a deep sleep, her face growing calm as the corners of her mouth turned up softly.

He forced himself to slowly breathe and turned his head to look back up at the dome of the base. As time crawled by, Vegeta tried to sort out his thoughts and feelings about the woman next to him. Why, when things involved her, he became confused, enchanted, and seemingly enraged. He was finding more and more that he had to shove a whole lot of his emotions down into that lockbox inside himself. Even more disturbing, he found as time went by, he was becoming more reluctant to do so concerning the feelings that pertained to the woman. Taking a deep breath in and out through his nose, the Saiyan decided he was too tired and in too much pain to deal with these kind of thoughts right now. Closing his eyes, Vegeta allowed himself to slip away into the blackness of sleep. He vaguely remembered a cocky smile on his lips as his thumb brushed over the soft, silky skin of the back of her hand.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, the C.C. brand phone was charged and blinking a green light in the darkness of the house. Beeping once to alert the sleeping pair of a message left by a panicking Krillin in its voicemail. It would go unanswered for quite a while.

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Vegeta felt a peace over him like none he had known before as his consciousness slowly came back to the surface from his deep sleep. He heard a gentle breathing and a heartbeat that didn't match his own as he opened his eyes. Looking at the ceiling of the C.C. base, it took a moment for his brain to come back online and recognize something was off. Gentle pressure in his right hand and soft fanning of breaths at the nape of his neck had the Saiyan shift his head slowly to look at the source.

The air in his chest froze and his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the gorgeous sleeping face of the Earth woman. She had snuggled closer during their sleep and had moved the Saiyan's hand up against her chest, nestling it between her breasts. Vegeta struggled to breath without a sound as he looked on helplessly at his stolen hand, his fingertips grazing the side of a full, shirt-clad breast. Her lips grazed the skin at the crest of his shoulder where the bandage ended on his right side as she moved closer and muttered softly in her sleep. She smiled warmly, her lips giving him a delicious shiver with its movements as the heated air from her sigh slid across his neck.

He felt a tightening at his chest and looked down, half expecting his heart to be breaking out of his ribs with its incessant beating. The woman's delicate fingers had half curled underneath the top of his chest bandage with her hand placed right over his frantic heart. Her thumb gently brushing his heated skin in the crease between his pectorals in its attempts to hold fast at the bandaged material. Her soft movements caused goosebumps to ripple across the skin of his shoulders and neck as he barely stifled a gasp.

' _Fuck!'_ He closed his eyes and internally groaned. He took a steadying breath before opening his eyes and looked at his imprisoned hand snugly in her grasp. His hand twitched in mild agitation with the desire to move, and Vegeta stilled as the woman stirred again and pulled his hand deeper into her depths, completely smothering it between the two soft, lush, pillows of her breasts.

' _FUCK!'_ He mentally shouted once more as he thumped his head back into the pillow and slammed his eyes close, attempting to ignore the sensations coming from his hand. Raising his left hand he rubbed at his face, massaging his brow and cheeks as he felt the flush of his blush burn his skin. Lifting his free hand slightly, he caught a glance of her profile from the corner of his eye and sighed quietly in defeat. Careful not to wake her, the Saiyan removed his hand from his face and gently placed it on top of her fingers that dug deep in the bandage on his chest. Her hum of approval had him smirk as she nuzzled her nose against his skin, inhaling the scent of his skin with a deep breath.

Vegeta's heart skipped a beat almost painfully at her unguarded and instinctual action, he couldn't help but wonder if scenting meant the same thing for humans as it did for Saiyans. He watched in wonder as a lock of her blue, silky hair gently cascaded over her features, covering the right side of her face as she shifted in her sleep. A part of his brain, the part that his father and Frieza had drilled into him, shouted at him to remove himself from the weakling at once. Snarling that he should be disgusted and ashamed at himself for his actions and feelings towards the woman. However, the other part, the one that she, along with his mother, had inadvertently nurtured, told the other to take a long walk in space without a suit. He wasn't causing harm or pain to anyone, especially not to himself or the woman from the looks of her smile.

The two sides fought in his mind for a while, both striking valid points before his selfishness won out and he kicked the voice of his father, mixed with Frieza, to a dark place of his mind to be ignored. With his mind finally at ease for now, Vegeta gazed at the woman with a quiet stillness. Finally lifting his hand up to her face, he brushed back the offending hair with a tenderness he surprised himself with. With pain staking slowness, he tucked it behind the shell of her ear, his fingertips tracing the skin lightly before pulling away. Placing his hand back on top of her own on his chest, the Saiyan watched her sleep on silently.

As the minutes passed, Vegeta knew he would have to break this peace soon, this calm before the storm he found them in. He was growing in need of food as his body was rapidly healing with the aid of his constant, fulfilling meals. Another wondrously good thing out of many he chalked up to meeting this feisty Earth woman. Taking one last unguarded look, Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned in towards the woman, taking a deep breath near the top of her head. He filled his nose with her soft, tantalizing, feminine scent with its hints of vanilla and a musk all her own. He reluctantly pulled back and opened his eyes, breathing out the air in his lungs along with his name for her.

" **Woman.** " She stirred gently at his deep rich voice and furrowed her brows in response. He tried again more firmly this time, his voice rumbling through her hand on his chest. " **Woman, you need to wake up.** " She groaned with a huff and pressed her lips to his shoulder and shook her head in disagreement. " **Wooomaaaan...** " He growled out playfully as his growl, long and low, sent shivers through her. Her eyes fluttered open clouded by the fog of sleep, until she took a few moments to focus on his wolfish grin.

Her eyes lowered to a half-lidded state as she shot him a heated smile. " **Why hello there, handsome!** " Giving the stunned Saiyan a silly wink and laugh, she closed her eyes and giggled. " **Now THAT'S a face I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning...** " Her sultry voice cooed and broke out into a cackle at the sound of the Saiyan's sputtering gasps and huffs of indignation. Vegeta pulled his hand free from her grasp with a snarl and sat up as quickly as his injured ribs would allow him. Collecting herself to glance his way, she saw him sit dourly with his arms crossed. " **Aw, Lighten up Vegeta! It was a compliment!** " She said reassuringly as she rotated to her back and raised her arms above her head.

" **Hn** " He grunted and stopped to stare as she arched her back and thrust her chest out in a stretch, groaning out loudly.

" **AAYYUUURGH! Man! I really needed that nap...** " She slumped back against the bed with a sigh and shifted to look at his blank, far-off stare. " **You doing okay? Need another dose of painkiller or maybe just some aspirin?** " She asked worryingly as she rolled up to her knees and faced him. His eyes followed her curves as she moved and her words snapped him back to focus with a jolt.

" **Huh, I'm fine! Just have a migraine, it will pass if I get more food in me.** " He rattled off and turned to face away from her, hunched over as his left hand rubbed at his temples with a small groan.

" **I can help with that.** " She said quickly and rolled out of the bed, landing her feet on the floor and rushing to the kitchen. Opening the cabinet to snatch a glass, she filled it halfway with water from the tap and grabbed the dissolving acetaminophen tablets from the medic kit she pulled out earlier. Popping two in the drink, she watched it dissolve and took it back to the Saiyan waiting on the bed. Handing him the drink, he looked up at her with one eyebrow raised. " **Drink it. It'll help with your headache.** " She said with a smile.

Vegeta nodded curtly and raised the glass up, swallowing it in one gulp. The taste was ghastly and made him stick out his tongue, gagging. The woman giggled at his reaction and left shortly to bring him a small dark bar wrapped in foil.

" **Yeah the taste is god awful, but it works wonders for migraines and hangovers.** " She handed him the bar of dark chocolate after unwrapping the end and taking a bite. " **Here, to get the taste out. Nothing's better than the taste of chocolate. I swear!** " She smiled widely at his skeptical gaze and winked as he took the offered food. Bringing it up to his nose he sniffed at it lightly before taking a small bite. His eyes widened with amazement and he quickly munched down the rest of the bar, licking his lips and fingers at the melted mess his heated skin left behind. Laughing as she watched his antics Bulma hummed out cheerfully. " **I'll take that as a 'Vegeta stamp of approval.' Good to know.** " She bounced back on her heels and sauntered out the door as the Saiyan stood to follow.

" **Woman you have more of that, what was it? Chocolate?** " He said with eagerness as his stomach rumbled in agreement. Laughing she turned to halt him in the kitchen, her finger waving side to side in warning.

" **Oh no you don't! You are NOT going to eat up all the chocolate with your black hole of a stomach! We are going to make a hotpot and enjoy each other's company before we have to head outside to deal with the chaos that awaits us.** " She huffed at him, crossing her arms across her bare midriff in the middle of her rant and popped a booty short's clad hip at him. He blinked back at her, trying to avoid his gaze from freely roaming her shapely legs or just barely concealed bottom poking out of her laced shorts.

" **H-how long with that take?** " He asked hesitantly and she raised her arms in a groan, the baby-blue shirt raising dangerously high to reveal her rib-cage just below her breasts.

" **As long as it takes to cook! Jeez, Saiyans! Kami help us all if the universe was made out of food! We'd all be dead.** " She grumbled out and stomped over to collect the large cooking hotpot in its capsule and loads of capsules with noodles, fresh vegetables and meats. Placing them on the kitchen table, she reached under and pressed a button that made the middle of the table separate and turn over, revealing a hot cooking surface. Tapping another button, the low hum as it stared to heat up could be heard and she un-capsuled the Hotpot. Bulma grunted low as she bent to slide it onto the hot surface. As she straightened up she caught sight of the back of Vegeta's form before passing quickly back into the bedroom.

" **Where are you going?** " She shouted after him.

" **Bathroom. Now leave me in peace woman!** " He yelled back and slammed the bathroom door closed with enough force to make her pause and hope he didn't break it. Bulma scrunched her brows together in a frown and shook her head, ' _Saiyans!'_ she thought gruffly to herself as she continued to get the rest of the meal in order.

Vegeta quickly moved to the sink and ran the water, cupping one hand as the other was currently trying to stop the steady rush of blood from his nose. ' _Good god..._ ' He thought helplessly as he worked to stem the flow and clean up his bloody face. His last image of the woman bent over the table, her barely clad ass in the air, did little to help. Her shirt had hung open and revealed what she was wearing underneath it to the world, to him. Which suffice it to say was nothing. He had stood there rooted to the spot gaping at the bareness of it in all its splendor, until he felt something wet drip from his nose and wiped to find it was blood.

Growling out in frustration, Vegeta tilted his head back and glared at the ceiling in the bathroom while he plopped his ass on the closed toilet seat lid. He was starting to get very familiar with the sight of this dwelling's roof, and he wasn't at all happy about it. ' _What the hell is she running around like **that** for?!'_ He thought angrily before remembering she had been sleeping when he woke her, and maybe that was common sleeping attire.

' _Still, she should put on something that covers her more! So as to not be so tempting to me..._ ' His eyes snapped open wide in horror and he hastily tried to rethink. ' _NO! not me, to any male...FUCK!'_ He slumped on the seat and tapped the back of his head roughly against the wall of the tile, once again causing it to crack in a different place.

He growled, irritated with himself and his wayward thoughts until a devastating epiphany smacked him up side the head and threw him for a loop. ' _She was wearing that when I woke up, when she was smothering my hand right in that exact place..._ ' His ever helpful mind gave him another clear cut image of the bare, pert breasts he saw just moments earlier and he grew suddenly very light headed.

" **Fucking _hell!_** " He muttered under his breath as he did his best to wash and stop a fresh gush of blood from his nose. It took him a few minutes to finally lessen the flow to almost nothing and get his mind back under control.

A gentle knocking at the door had him jolt up in defense and ready a Ki blast, he hadn't heard her move to the door. " **Vegeta, are you alright?** " Her worried voice floated through the door, and he released a huff, dispelling the energy in his hand. Opening the door to pop her head around and look at him, she saw his scowl and droplets of blood around his chest and chin. Opening the door the rest of the way, her panic filled eyes eased his ire from a flame to smoldering ash. " **Oh my Kami, you're bleeding?! What happened?** " She said as she reached her hand up to tilt his face and get a good look at him.

" **I don't know woman, you tell me! Five minutes after drinking your ridiculous concoction, I start to bleed out of my nose.** " He said gruffly, knowing full well the medicine wasn't at all to blame as he tried to push down the blush that threatened to rise. His mind wanted to properly supply him with what ' _exactly_ ' made him bleed but he mentally shot it with a Ki blast and shoved its remains into his Pandora's box, hoping to never touch it again.

" **Kami...** " She whispered under her breath as she wet a small hand towel and set to wiping his bloodied face and chest, occasional re-wiping a stray bit of blood that leaked from his nose. " **I'm so sorry Vegeta. I had NO idea that would happen, I've given that exact medicine to Goku before and this never happened.** " She said before rinsing out the towel and re-wetting it in the sink with warm water.

Turning back to face him, she smirked lightly and bit her lip before continuing. " **Although, Goku doesn't have high blood pressure like you, so maybe that has something to do with it?** " She watched his cheeks grow pink before he snarled back in warning. " **Alright, maybe not. It was just a thought.** " She said with a knowing smile and the Saiyan huffed and averted his eyes from her gaze.

Checking one last time to see his nose had stopped bleeding, Bulma sighed and threw the bloodied towel in the sink and washed her hands. " **Alright, it stopped for now. Just try and take it easy until we get some food in you. That should help balance out the drugs effect on you.** " Grunting softly back at her, Vegeta waited until she was finished before standing up.

His gazed unconsciously drifted down to her barely clothed ass and he shut his eyes quickly with a snarl. ' _How embarrassing, The prince of Saiyans acting like a goddamned, wet-behind-the-ears teen! Things couldn't possibly get worse._ ' He berated himself as he mentally yelled out his frustration. Hearing her leave the room, Vegeta opened his eyes and followed her out to return to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, sure Vegeta...Things can't get any worse! *giggles* >:D
> 
> WOW! I hammered this out so quickly I think my head is still reeling from all the giddy laughter from writing it. MAN, this was fun to write...but maaaaybe I took it too far and escalated this a bit too early? Meh, who knows...
> 
> As far as the next Chapter it's a bit more...um flirty and complicated for our two love birds so there's THAT to look forward to if ya'll want. I've got most of it fleshed out but gonna take some time to really go over it and make sure I got it right where I want it. As for this one, I hope you guys really enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and please, PLEASE leave a comment on the part that made you laugh out loud if you did. I know I scared my cats many times while I cackled like a hyena at some parts while rereading. 
> 
> Until next time, enjoy everyone!


	9. Update 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writing and editing hurrah!

Hey there everyone!

I have finished Calm Before the Storm and posted it today 3/10/2021! I really knocked this out quick and have already wrote a huge chunk of Chapter 8: A Dangerous Game. I have a few ideas and some fleshed out 'outlines' for about 2 more chapters, but after that I'll need to brainstorm again. However, I don't think it will take me too long because all the love, comments, and hit from everyone is like a jolt to my creativity. I'm even starting to think maybe I should have saved some of this for a different AU or something...I dunno. However, on the off chance I never write anything again after this story I threw everything I came up with into this.

I hope you guys really like it, and I'm a bit worried cause I really took a leap off the canon with both Vegeta and Bulma's background stories that weren't really covered in the canon. So If you do like it, please say so, but if you don't...my apologies but that's what I came up with. Hopefully I'll be able to post Chapter 8 in a week or maybe a bit more but for now, you guys will have sweet fluffy goodness to read this weekend.

We are now hitting close to 80 kudos and 12k hits!!! Just WOW! You guys are fricken amazing and I love you all for your continued support and love! As always, comments really do help, but I'm not going to bug or beg you guys...you guys just do you.

Until next time, much love!

I added a few songs I've been listening to while I write like mad and I'll post the link here if anyone is interested. <https://soundcloud.com/alfawolf06/sets/bittersweet>


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